CWA's 2023 Annual National Open Juried Exhibition
Connecticut Women Artists, Inc. (CWA) is one of the country's oldest women's art organizations, beginning in 1929. CWA presents the National Open Juried Exhibition in the fall each year, showcasing selected works in a broad range of styles and media submitted by women artists from the United States. The work of these participating contemporary artists, in many media and styles, is on display from September 1 through September 29, 2023. The Opening Reception and Awards Ceremony is September 9, from 12 until 2 pm. The collection of works was juried by Dr. Keffie Feldman
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Exhibition Co-Chairs, Nancy Whitcher and Lakshmi S. Nair
Reception Chair, Gwendolyn Quezaire-Presutti
Awards
2nd place Award – Fence Creek 22
Daine Cadrain
Juror’s Award – The Boy and the Pelicans
Arpita Kurdekar
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Council Award – Sunflower
Jeanette Compton
President’s Award – Everything Has a Space
Sheri Fafunwa Ndibe
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Alternative Media Award – Green-Tongued Blue Blossom
Donna Namnoun
First Prize
Pollution From Land and Water
Ann Phong
Juror of Selection and Awards
With a wide-ranging background in art and history, Dr. Keffie Feldman holds a Ph.D. from the Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World at Brown University and a B.A. in archaeology and art history from Tufts University. Her work has taken her all over the world, which has informed her curatorial practice and deepened her appreciation of the things we hold in common. Whether considering art of the ancient past or the contemporary present, she is interested in art’s power to communicate both on personal and societal levels.
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Juror’s statement
When selecting works for the 2023 Connecticut Women Artists Annual National Open Juried Exhibition I was looking for artwork that was innovative, exemplary in its execution, or both. The artworks included in this show say something new, creatively engage media, display technical mastery, or do all of the above. Among the selected artworks, certain subjects and themes emerged, many of which indicate close observation of the world. Still lives, wild and companion animals, landscapes, and portraits figured heavily among the submissions. Yet, the diversity of subjects, media, and techniques speaks to the broad talent, creativity, and priorities among the nation’s women artists.
It is a brave act to create. It is braver still to submit those creations to judgement. All of the artists who submitted to this show -- those who were selected and those who were not -- should be commended.
Keffie Feldman, Phd
August 2023
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2023 National Open Juried Exhibition catalog, PDF