“Wolf”, a charcoal by local artist Oyunaa Waskin, won ‘Best of Show’ in the Artists in Middleburg’s (AiM) “The Animal in Art” exhibit running through June 14th at the gallery on 102 W. Wash ington Street in Middleburg.
“By blending ink-like techniques with the softness of charcoal, I create depth and movement.,” Oyunaa says. “Through this, I capture the spirit of the wolf, its surroundings, and the energy that flows between them.” ‘Wolf” is 11 x 14 and is $400. “Zorro”, a 15 x 9 bronze, by sculptor Wendy Lind, came in second and is $4,500.
“All the Pretty Boys Walk Like This”, a 14 x 11 oil, by artist Shelia Huyett “is a strutting little rooster with serious swag ger” which, Shelia said, “totally came from having that song stuck in my head when I painted him.”
The exhibition juror was J Douglas, whose work has been collect ed internationally and can be found in private collections, presidential estates, galleries, and public institutions, and Salamander Resort.
J has a longstanding connection with the Artists in Mid dleburg community, dating back to its earliest days when it began as a gathering of local artists meeting in one an other’s studios long before it became a nonprofit and had a physical gallery. J hosts the monthly Art Tribe event, help ing create a space for artists to gather, share, and grow.
Executive Director Sandy Danielson says AiM hosts themed exhibitions each month for local artists as well as offers art class es, from Plein Air (French for ‘in the open air’) experiences to sculpting, painting and drawing instruction.
“AiM also strives to nurture and promote art and art education within the community,” she says. “AiM has supplemented the art programs at local schools by providing guest art teachers, supplies, and art therapy, as well as partnered with many schools to host an an nual exhibition of of stu dents’ art during Youth Art Month in March. ”
“We believe wholeheartedly in the physical, cognitive, and emotional benefits of creativity and work to level the aca demic playing field through arts education and community programs,” Sandy says. “All made possible through grants, donations, and proceeds from gallery sales and programs. Our goal is to increase our education endeavors and explore community needs. We need your help to do this!” Contact Sandy@theartistsinmiddleburg.org / 540 687 6600 / theartistsinmiddleburg.org
As indicated by the National Endowment of the Arts (“NEA”), “American commu nities are strength ened through the arts.” AiM seeks to join what the NEA describes as “Com munities across our nation…leveraging the arts and engag ing design to make their communities more livable with enhanced quality of life, increased creative activity, a distinct sense of place, and vibrant local economies that together capitalize on their existing assets.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Middleburg Page is an experiment to test new ways for us to use our reach to help sustain local artists, and at the same time, sustain local news coverage. We’re starting with Artists in Middleburg by getting to share this page in Fauquier Times and The Georgetowner, and the idea is to build a bridge between us and Georgetown. In doing so, we’ll connect the arts community out here in Hunt Country to the arts community in Georgetown. That should enable us to help bring in thousands of new funding dollars to solve both challenges.
