'Artists Choose Artists' in Parrish Exhibition

A unique juried art show will open on Saturday at the .

Seven established East End artists were invited to select two artists each from a pool of around 200 online submissions. Any artist living on the East End was eligible to apply, and after narrowing the choices and making some studio visits, 14 were chosen to join the exhibition, aptly named "Artists Choose Artists."

The exhibition was founded two years ago as a way to acknowledge and celebrate the East End's longevity as an art colony, according the Parrish.

The show has a second purpose of encouraging mentoring from artist to artist. Connections between artists are further solidified through the presentation of the art: The artist-jurors display their own artwork alongside works by the two artists they each selected.

The artist-jurors are Alice Aycock, Ross Bleckner, Dan Rizzie, Matthew Satz, Gary Simmons, Agathe Snow and Frank Wimberly. Samples of their artwork can be viewed through the Parrish's website.    

Selected artists are Kryn Olson, Mike Solomon, Renate Aller, Mary Ellen Bartley, Ross Watts, Tad Wiley, Terry Elkins, Liliya Lifanova, Perry Burns, Melinda Hackett, Alice Hope, Neila Khanis, Fulvio Massi and Julie Small-Gamby.

Media used in the exhibition include painting, photography, mixed media, sculpture and video. The work ranges from landscape to abstraction to conceptual.

"Since the idea is to promote mentorship and communication within the art community, we wanted judges to be well-recognized artists," although not necessarily “famous,” said Mark Segal, the public relations manager for the Parrish. “We sought to have as diverse a group as we could. The judges had to be willing to devote the time required to view 200 submissions and to eventually visit at least two studios.”

The opening reception Saturday includes a 40-minute film shot and edited by Andrea Grover featuring studio scenes and interviews of each of the artists selected.

Grover is an associate curator at the Parrish. She coordinated the selection process with curatorial assistant Sam Bridger-Carroll and is installing the show with Parrish Chief Curator Alicia Longwell.

This is the second "Artists Choose Artists" exhibition. The first was held in 2009 and sub-titled "Mixed Greens." The past exhibition featured nine artist-jurors who each selected just one artist each from the East End.

"Artists Choose Artists" opens on Aug. 20 with a reception at 6 p.m. and continues through Oct. 9. Exhibition tours led by docents will be held on Saturdays from Aug 27 to Sept 17 at 2 p.m.

Coinciding with the exhibition is the launch of the semi-annual educational program, East End Stories on Screen. A screening on Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. will highlight Willem de Kooning, Frank O’Hara, Larry Rivers, Miriam Shapiro and Jane Wilson.