BOSTON—BSA Space will be hosting two juried segments of the 17th Annual Mosaic Arts International Exhibition Series (MAI), sponsored by the Society of American Mosaic Artists (SAMA), from February 15 through April 27, 2018.
“From Greece to Rome to the Byzantine Empire, many civilizations and cultures have integrated mosaics into their design expressions. BSA Space is proud to present an exhibition celebrating the art of mosaics, an ancient medium that continues to embrace and enhance architecture while making it beautiful.” said Laura Wernick FAIA, 2018 BSA Foundation chair.
“We are deeply grateful for this opportunity to share our collective resources and knowledge in this stunning collaborative exhibition series. Our desire is to foster a greater appreciation for the art of mosaic and to inspire future collaborations between the constituents of all three organizations involved this year.” Dawnmarie Zimmerman, SAMA Executive Director.
The works on display at BSA Space reflect the multiplicity of the mosaic medium and its unlimited applications. Regardless of the style, colors, textures, materials, or vision, each of the works exhibited speaks an ancient language with a contemporary translation.
The Mosaic Arts International: Fine Art
This segment was juried by a panel of internationally accomplished jurors, Lindsy Parrott, Executive Director and Curator, The Neustadt Collection New York; Carol Shelkin, Artist and Educator, Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania; and Pamela Irving, Artist and Educator, Melbourne, Australia. Their dedicated work culminated in the selection of 28 works for inclusion in the MAI Fine Art exhibition from more than 200 entries.
The Mosaic Arts International: Architectural & Site-Specific
This segment is a juried exhibition of the best in contemporary architectural and in-situ mosaics from SAMA’s diverse international membership. This segment was juried by Julie Burros, chief of the City of Boston’s Office of Arts and Culture, resulting in 13 installation works to be represented via digital and print images within the show.
In addition to creating a collaborative selection of work for the exhibition, the jurors were tasked to select several works to bestow SAMA’s annual awards. Among their selected works along with jury comments include:
Best in Show: Primordial Traveler by Andryea Natkin, Chicago
Contemporary Innovation Award: The Hol(e)y Book, Where Am I? by Karen Dimit, New York
Technical Achievement: As the Fish Rots by Sandra Groenveld, Montverde, Florida
Jurors Choice: Lindsy Parrott. Verbatim by Cherie Bosela, Orlando, Florida
Jurors Choice: Carol Shelkin. The Beauty that Still Remains by Donna Van Hooser, Goodyear, Arizona
Jurors Choice: Pamela Irving. Keep Peeling by Etty Hasak, Chicago
Best Architectural and Site-Specific: Fishers of Men/ Manannán mac Lir Mosaics: Spirit of Place – Ireland, Meghan Walsh, Rachel Sager, Julie Sperling, Deb Englebaugh, Lee-Ann Taylor
Best Community Mosaic: Just Like the Lotus, Joshua Winer, Waltham, Massachusetts
Jurors Choice: Julie Burros. Come to the Well, Karen Glanders, Nashville, Indiana
Images and jury comment are available at architects.org/bsaspace.
The invitational segment of Mosaic Arts International, showcasing the work of Canadian artist Sophie Drouin, will be on display at the Society of Arts + Crafts from February 15 through March 18, 2018. More details: societyofcrafts.org/exhibitions/current-exhibition
