By Staff
Special to The Star
Jan. 13, 2002
Want to take a look at some of the best artwork produced in Mississippi and Alabama over the past three decades?
Then visit the Meridian Museum of Art to see the newest exhibit that features the outstanding artwork that has won the Best of Show award in the prestigious Bi-State Art Competition.
The exhibit coincides with the call for entries for this year's competition, the 2002 Bi-State, which will be on display at the Museum from March 16-April 20.
The deadline to enter the competition is Feb. 10. The Bi-State offers over $3,000 in awards and prizes, including a $1,000 Best of Show Award.
The Bi-State is the oldest juried art competition in the region. It showcases contemporary artists in Mississippi and Alabama and rewards their efforts. The juror for the 2002 competition is Michael Crespo. An award-winning artist and author who earned his M.F.A. from the City University of New York, Crespo is alumni professor of Painting and Drawing and the former director of the School of Art at Louisiana State University.
Original works of art such as paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, photography, ceramics, fibers, glass, or mixed media are eligible. Artists may submit up to three works. All work must be original and created during the years of 1999 to present. Artists should submit one 35 mm color slide of each work.
The entry fee for the competition is $25. Sponsors for the Bi-State include the Meridian Arts Council, the Mississippi Arts Commission, Meridian Coca-Cola and Trustmark National Bank.
The museum is open 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. Admission to the Museum is free. For more information, call 693-1501.
The Best of Show works featured in the current exhibit include:
1974 Arline Bailey, City, acrylic on canvas
1975 Chip Spirson, Symbiotic Ties #1, airbrush on canvas
1976 Ray Parish, Wall Discs, stoneware, horse hair, rope
1977 Ke Francis, Untitled, watercolor on paper
1978 Jere Allen, Bereaved, graphite and gesso
1979 Rusty Sharman, Butterfly, acrylic on canvas
1980 Rita DeWitt, Untitled, hand-colored relief photograph
1981 Anton Haardt, Ra Ra Ceremony #2, silkscreen with collage
1982 DeAnna Douglas, Woman Full of Heart, wood, metal, found objects
1983 Ke Francis, Passage Patrol, metal, wood, string, paint
1984 Milly Moorhead, Paulette Getting Ready for Work, photograph
1985 Brent Funderburk, Mirror, Mirror, watercolor on paper
1986 Lou O'Leary, Perry Como's Lips are Turning Blue, oil on canvas/diptych
1987 Spence Kellum, The Clinging, neon, metal
1988 Michael Sella, Cross, mixed oil, paper, steel
1994 Scott Meyer, Core Sample, ceramic, steel
1995 Gayle McCarty, Harvest II, cast paper and clay
1996 Ty Dimig, Workmanship, bronze
1997 Thomas Morrison, Structure of a View, oil on canvas, metal, wood
1998 Scott Betz, Arabic Celtic Mayan VII, oil
1999 Wesley Ortiz, W.H.O. #420, acrylic and oil
2000 Gary Chapman, Incident One, oil on wood
2001 Joseph Gluhman, Aniconic II, mixed media on paper