July 24 - September 11, 2021

Eye to Eye

Juried Summer Group Show

The Olive Free Library Association is pleased to present its fourth annual juried summer group exhibition, titled Eye to Eye. The show runs from July 24 to September 11 this year, with an opening reception and concert fundraiser featuring Soul Purpose on Saturday, July 24, from 3 to 5 pm. The exhibition has been juried by renowned local artist Tom Sarrantonio. The concert will take place on the Olive Free Library’s front lawn. Drinks and snacks will be provided. A $10 donation is suggested.

The Olive Free Library’s Exhibition committee is very excited that Soul Purpose, one of the best regional bands, has agreed to perform on the Olive Library’s front lawn, raising funds for its exhibitions program. The combined art opening and concert event will be the highlight of the Library’s summer season. With a distinctive take on Smooth Soul, Swing, R&B, Jump Blues, and New Orleans Funk music, Soul Purpose is a seven-piece “smokin’ band whose joyous renditions of R&B, Soul, and Swing will lift your heart, gathering the boisterous energy of a dancing crowd and channeling it into a melodic explosion. Soul Purpose enthralls from the first note with powerhouse vocals, bold horns, lush keyboards, and blistering guitarwork with the rhythmic reference and underlying pulse for the band provided by expertly played bass and percussion.

Featuring 58 works by 57 different local and regional artists, covering all styles and media, the exhibition is hung in the Olive Library’s spacious Community Gallery.

The participating artists are: Carol Altarescu, Joan Barker, D. Yael Bernhard, Nancy Campbell, Linda Champanier, Vicki Chesler, Diane Christi, Marie Cole, Joseph Cozad, Diane Crupain, Joe D, Maxine Davidowitz, Carol Davis, Ted Dixon, Josh Dorman, Collin Douma, Amy Fenton-Shine, Mira Fink, Stacie Flint, Tabitha Gilmore-Barnes, Irina Grinevitsky, Giorgio Handman, Barbara Hirth-Strauss, Katie Hoffstatter, Aram Jibilian, Janette Kahil, Margaret Leveson, Frank Manzo, Helene Manzo, Wilma Miller, Gloria Mirsky, Ed Mues, Linda Neaman, Kevin Noble, Sandra Nystrom, Ellie Perez, Geraldine Popko, Elaine Ralston, Tad Richards, Marilynn Rowley, Deborah Ruggerio, Dominick Santise, David Schaengold, Sandra Scheuer, Linda Schultz, Joanne Shulman, Roberta Sickler, Amy Silberkleit, Ana Silva, Janet Siskind, Jan Sosnowitz, Judie Stanger, Scott Wheelock, Betty Wilde-Biasiny, Jennifer Wulfe, Susan York, Zelda aka Judith Z. Miller.

The show’s call for art resulted in more than 200 artwork submissions of which 58 works were chosen offering the community a great way to view and purchase works in various media by local and regional artists at affordable prices. Tom Sarrantonio is this year’s juror of Eye to Eye, and says the following about his jurying process: “I approach jurying an art show with a mixture of excitement and dread. The anticipation of seeing hundreds of new works by artists I may or may not know is a thrill. The prospect of having to choose and by necessity “reject” some (if not most!) of these sincere creations is daunting. I cannot approach this task thinking that I am rejecting artists or their works. One thing that is consistent among the works I have viewed is a sincerity that emanates from the creative process and that is something that needs to be acknowledged and celebrated. I heard an artist in an interview who was asked what it meant to be a successful artist and they responded, “I think that just being an artist is a success”. So I applaud all creative endeavor and my job as a juror is to choose and curate a show from a varied and worthy group of entries. There are no works that cry out “reject me!” in this process. I would never want to discourage an artist from the pursuit of beauty and transcendence. So I need to consider which artworks, taken together, will contribute to conveying the variety, commitment, and vitality of creative activity that we call Art. I hope that the show will be viewed in this light and we can celebrate together the survival of the creative life amidst the significant challenges of our times. Thank you for creating!”

At the Opening Reception one artist will be awarded a $100 prize for Best in Show, and there will also be two Honorable Mentions, all three selected by Tom Sarrantonio.