Article Contributed by
Crary Art Gallery
The Crary Art Gallery, in partnership with the Allegheny National Forest, calls all painters, illustrators, photographers, mixed media and other two-dimensional artists to submit works inspired by the Allegheny National Forest, for consideration in the ANF100 –a juried exhibition in honor of its 100th anniversary– taking place September 22-24, 2023. The call for entries is now open and will close July 16, at which time all the works will be turned over to guest juror Laura Domencic.
Domencic is an artist, curator, writer and educator who cultivates creative thinking in individuals and communities. She is the Executive Director of the Erie Art Museum and a lead partner and curator with The Documentary Works, a group that produces photo documentary exhibits on social and environmental justice. Before her appointment to the museum, she worked as an independent arts consultant, directed an artist residency program in Ambialet, France, and served for eleven years as Director of the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts.
For a nominal fee, artists will be able to submit up to three works using the form at craryartgallery.org/anf100. There will be certain guidelines to follow regarding size and weight of the artworks selected but, most importantly, all works must be inspired by one of the ANF’s key areas of focus: plants/vegetation/wood, watersheds, recreation/people, wildlife, heritage and/or oil & gas. Artists will be asked to enter the location and, if possible, the coordinates of the location which inspired the submitted works. Adrienne Grimes, Crary Art Gallery board member and exhibition coordinator says, “As a transplant in the Allegheny National Forest area, coordinating this juried exhibition has given me the space to know more about the history and land that I currently call home. I’m excited to help bring an opportunity to this area that highlights the beauty of our national forest and the art it inspires every day.”
Selected works will be exhibited at the CAG the weekend of September 22-24, 2023, with an opening reception on Friday, September 22 from 5 to 8 PM. Like all exhibition openings at the Crary, admission is free and open to the public. In addition, all high schools in the four counties which border the Allegheny National Forest –Elk, Forest, McKean and Warren counties– have been invited to submit a collective art piece to be displayed during the ANF100 exhibition as well. Materials for the project are provided by the Allegheny National Forest office and distributed by the Crary Art Gallery. To date, seven high schools will participate. For any questions regarding this program, email [email protected].
The ANF100 exhibition will be one of several events taking place to celebrate the centennial, the weekend of September 22, 2023. Updates will be available on social media and at craryartgallery.org.
The Crary Art Gallery is a non-profit private art museum located at the corner of Market Street and 6th Avenue in historic downtown Warren. Its mission is to promote the importance of visual arts. In addition to displaying the permanent collection, temporary exhibitions are held every other month throughout the year, beginning in February. Hours of operation are Fridays and Saturdays from 12 to 6 and Sundays from 12 to 4. Admission is always free. For more information, visit craryartgallery.org.