Back to News & PressArkansas Arts Center Announces Delta Exhibition Winners
Digital exhibition on view beginning June 19
The Arkansas Arts Center announced the award-winning works of the 62nd Annual Delta Exhibition this evening, with Arkansas artist Aaron Calvert taking the top prize.
Guest juror Stefanie Fedor selected 63 artworks representing 10 states to be featured in the exhibition from 772 artworks submitted by 348 artists. From the selected works, Fedor named a Grand Award winner and two Delta Award winners. A Contemporaries Award winner was selected by the Contemporaries, an auxiliary membership group of the Arkansas Arts Center.
Grand Award – $2,500 prize
Aaron Calvert of Russellville, Ark., for Rocket Rabbit
Delta Awards – $750 prize
Leah Grant of Fayetteville, Ark., for Notice
Anton Hoeger of Canton, Texas, for Woman with Red Shoes
Contemporaries Award – $250 prize
Chris Hynes of Little Rock, Ark., for Spirit
One of the great joys of curating and jurying exhibitions comes when you are finally in front of the actual artworks and themes and conversations naturally emerge. Despite these works not coming together physically in the galleries, themes did appear – haunted landscapes and sites with the traces of human touch, portraits in isolation, and ecological and material concerns course through many of the works in this exhibition,” Fedor wrote in her juror statement. “While some of these themes may seem somber, I believe they also present the opportunity for hope. The chance to look at an artwork and see a reflection of ourselves, our emotional state of being, and our collective concerns says we are connected.”
The first digital presentation in the storied exhibition’s history, the 62nd Delta Exhibition was organized in collaboration with Historic Arkansas Museum, Thea Foundation, ACANSA Gallery and the Argenta Branch of the William F. Laman Library. Elevating artistic voices from the American South and beyond, the Delta Exhibition addresses identity, place, history, heritage and power. As one of the longest-running and most prestigious juried art exhibitions in the region, the Delta Exhibition represents the Arts Center’s commitment to artists living and working in our community today – and to continuing to grow artistic talent in the region.
“The Delta Exhibition offers artists a high-profile platform to share their work with a broad audience. As a Delta arts institution, the Arts Center remains committed to Delta artists. We are proud to present an innovative solution to continue the exhibition during this time,” Executive Director Victoria Ramirez said. “Along with our creative arts partners, we look forward to showcasing art that will educate and inspire, especially amid challenging circumstances.”
Showcasing artists born in or living in Arkansas and its border states, the Annual Delta Exhibition presents a vision of contemporary art in the American South. Founded in 1958, the exhibition provides a unique snapshot of the Delta region and features work in all media. The exhibition reflects the region’s strong traditions of craftsmanship and observation, combined with an innovative use of materials and an experimental approach to subject matter.
The 62nd Annual Delta Exhibition is organized by the Arkansas Arts Center in collaboration with Historic Arkansas Museum, Thea Foundation, ACANSA Gallery and the Argenta Branch of the William F. Laman Library. Each partner organization has also curated a selection of works from the exhibition exploring a theme related to their institution’s mission. The 62nd Annual Delta Exhibition – including the partner theme galleries – is on view beginning tomorrow morning at delta.arkmfa.org.
The exhibition is supported by Mrs. Lisenne Rockefeller; Terri and Chuck Erwin; Judy Fletcher, In Memory of John R. Fletcher; Friday, Eldredge & Clark, LLP; JC Thompson Trust; Dianne and Bobby Tucker; AAC Contemporaries; Bank OZK; Phyllis and Michael Barrier; East Harding Construction; Marion W. Fulk; Barbara House; Don Tilton; and the Andre Simon Memorial Trust in memory of everyone who has died of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). The Grand Award is supported by The John William Linn Endowment Fund.
Arkansas Arts Center programs are also supported in part by: Arkansas Arts Center Foundation; Arkansas Arts Center Board of Trustees; City of Little Rock; City of North Little Rock; Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau; and the Arkansas Arts Council, a division of Arkansas Heritage, and the National Endowment for the Arts.