From the Essex County Executive’s Office:
Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. invites all non-professional and professional senior citizen artists residing in Essex County to participate in the 2020 Essex County Senior Citizens Juried Art Show and Exhibition. Because of the Coronavirus pandemic, this year’s competition will be held virtually. The deadline to submit artwork is Monday, August 24th.
“Essex County has a thriving arts community and our Senior Art Show enables our older residents, both professionals and non-professionals, to display their original creations where everyone can see them,” DiVincenzo said. “This is an excellent means for us to promote the arts and inspire our residents to use their talents. I encourage our seniors to submit their work and invite our residents to visit the Art Show,” he added.
Senior citizens must be at least 60 years old and a resident of Essex County to participate. Senior citizens will be considered as professional artists if they meet at least two of the following conditions: have sold their art through commercial channels including craft fairs; have shown their artwork in exhibits, galleries, museums, craft shows for two or more years; have had their work selected in two or more juried art or craft shows; have received two or more awards for their work; or have a professional membership in an artist’s or craft person’s guild or association. Seniors with non-professional status do not meet at least two of the above criteria.
Awards will be presented in the following categories, without exceptions: acrylic painting, craft, digital, mixed media and collage, oil painting, pastel, print, photography, sculpture, watercolor painting and works on paper. First place winners will be eligible to participate in the New Jersey Senior Art Contest.
Seniors can submit two entries of original artwork that were completed within the last three years. Artwork must be matted, mounted or framed, with screw eyes and wire attached. Photographs of all artwork should be emailed to jmatthews@parks.essexcountynj.org by Monday, August 24th. Approved submissions will be shared on the 2020 Virtual Senior Citizens Juried Art Contest and Exhibition website from Monday, August 31st through Wednesday, September 2nd.
All photographs of the artwork must be clearly labeled with the following information: the artist’s name, address, title of work, medium, date created, size, professional or non-professional status, and approximate value of the painting.
For more information or to obtain an application, please visit www.essexcountynj.org or contact Jackie Matthews at 973-735-6228 or jmatthews@parks.essexcountynj.org.
