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Maude Kerns Art Center Presents
Fast Foward:
The Mayor's Teen Art Show
Exhibit Dates:
September 12 – October 3, 2014
Awards Ceremony and Reception:
Friday, September 12, 6 – 8 pm
The Maude Kerns Art Center and Comcast proudly present the fifteenth annual “Fast Forward: The Mayor’s Teen Art Show,” opening on Friday, September 12 and on view through October 3. Comcast celebrates its ninth year as the Title Sponsor of the Art Center’s the “Mayor’s Teen Art Show.”
The Opening Reception and Awards Ceremony take place on Friday, September 12, from 6 – 8 pm. At this time Mayor Kitty Piercy announces the Mayor’s Choice Award winner, and artists will be honored with the Comcast Choice Award, the Maude Kerns Art Center Award, and a number of Artist Recognition awards.
This will be Mayor Kitty Piercy’s tenth year selecting the Mayor’s Choice Award winner for “Fast Forward: The Mayor’s Teen Art Show.” Asked for her reflections on the “Mayor’s Teen Art Show,” Mayor Piercy said: “I am honored and pleased to be part of the Mayor’s Teen Art Show. It is a great opportunity for both Maude Kerns Art Center and the City of Eugene to recognize the talented youth who live here. I have enjoyed each of these 10 shows immensely, and I have been so impressed by the wide range of art, the professionalism, beauty, and creativity. It is difficult to choose and it’s a pleasure to be able to do so.”
“Fast Forward: The Mayor’s Teen Art Show” features the work of 35 teen artists from 13 different schools, as well as the winning videos created by five Youth Visions video artists. Artworks are in a variety of mediums, including silkscreen and block prints, acrylic, colored pencil and graphite, mosaic tile, mixed media, charcoal, digital art, photography, clay, wire sculpture, and paper collage. The exhibit was juried by Anna Bursofsky, a former participating artist; Barbara Counsil, artist and Art Center instructor; and Joline Kessler, artist, Art Center instructor, and the Art Center’s Education & Arts Program Manager.
Eighteen-year-old Tommy Newman of the Academy of Arts and Academics is a newcomer to “Fast Forward,” although he has been pursuing art since his elementary school days. He has been a participant in the Art Center’s summer art workshops over many years. He says he likes drawing the best and among his four works in the show are two sensitive conté crayon drawings. He also exhibits a linoleum block print and an acrylic painting on canvas.
Seventeen-year-old Katherine Quillin of South Eugene High School, who was given an Artist Recognition Award in the 2013 “Mayor’s Teen Art Show,” is again exhibiting four of her striking photographs in this year’s exhibit, along with one ceramic piece. Katherine, who is always on the lookout for interesting images and never fails to take her camera with her on trips, says: “ I love taking pictures because I love documenting things and showing them to other people. I like to share my experiences with everyone else.”
Sixteen-year-old Emma Shortt from South Eugene High School exhibits three works in colored pencil for this year’s exhibit. Two are works from the imagination and the third, a self-portrait, incorporates symbols and images from Emma’s personal life, including Chinese characters that allude to her cultural heritage. Emma says of her three pieces, which were created in an art class at school, that “they show how my skills and style have morphed and grown into something unexpected and exciting.”