Arkansas Arts Center hosts 61st annual Delta Exhibition

The 61^st annual Delta Exhibition will be on display May 3 through June 30 at the Arkansas Arts Center in Little Rock.

Guest juror Kevin Cole selected 50 artworks by 49 artists, representing 10 states to be featured in the exhibition. From the selected works, Cole named a Grand Award winner, two Delta Award winners and five honorable mentions, a media release on the exhibit said. A Contemporaries Award winner was selected by the Contemporaries, an auxiliary membership group of the Arkansas Arts Center.

“Continuing the tradition started so many years ago, I believe this year’s Delta Exhibition brings a different energy, different synergy and different sound that speaks to the signs of the times,” Cole wrote in his juror statement. “There are many provocative works among this year’s entrants. Within the entries, you will find works that challenge one’s intellect on what art is and what art can be, other works that are also quite painterly.”

The exhibition showcases contemporary art in the American art, “showcasing artists living and working in Arkansas and its border states,” the release said.

Founded in 1958, the exhibition features work in an array of media to show a bit of the contemporary Delta region, while not forgetting the regions strong traditions, the release said.

Winners are:

• Grand Award, $2,500 prize — Mabry Turner of Little Rock for “American Made: Greed, Lust, & Lost Love”
• Delta Awards, $750 prize — Scinthya Edwards of Helena, for “Birds of a Feather…” and Heather Christine Guenard of Cabot for “LV-426”
• Contemporaries Award, $250 prize —Michael Warrick of Little Rock for “Youth”

The 61^st Annual Delta Exhibition will be the last major exhibition on view before the Arkansas Arts Center’s upcoming renovation and expansion project. Groundbreaking on the renovation project is scheduled for this fall.