Meg Daly has announced that Jackson artist Abbie Miller has been awarded the Contemporary Northwest Art Awards by the Portland Museum of Art! Says Daly, on her Culture Front Blog: “According to the museum’s literature, “The Contemporary Northwest Art Awards honors artistic merit and potential while providing an in-depth and scholarly presentation of work by several promising and/or nationally under-recognized professional contemporary artists living and working in the Northwest. The awards recipients are honored with an exhibition in the Museum’s special exhibition galleries, a full-color catalogue, exhibition-related programming, and cash awards. Abbie was nominated by an as-of-yet anonymous arts professional. Nominations came from Oregon, Washington, Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho – 239 in total!” Read the whole story on www.culturefront.org! Congrats, Abbie!
Additionally, Awards Curator Bonnie Laing-Malcolmson will speak on “Jackson Art in Regional Context” at The Rose, Wednesday, August 1, 5:30 pm. Free admission, cash bar!
There’s something I need to say to our young generation of artists. You have a real leader or two amongst you. Without them, many of you would not have studio space, or any kind of platform for your art. You’d not have a model. One of those leaders recently demonstrated his craft in a 3-hour public appearance; the event was widely publicized, published in the paper, on this blog, on Facebook, etc. The venue was a little outside the artist’s experience; in such circumstances it’s gratifying to have visible support from your friends. The event setting was spectacular, attendance was nice, and I expected to see a good number of this artist’s friends and colleagues stop by. None of you showed. If one or two of you had appeared it would make a difference. Nobody can attend everything. Stuff happens, we all need down time. But that day, for that person and that event—- 100% absenteeism by Jackson’s young artists was, to say the least, disappointing.
Young noses often turn up at plein air or classically representational art. Scoffing is often envy’s’ manifestation; not always, but it’s very misguided. Certainly not constructive or instructive. You’re more likely to attend an event when drinks & food are being served. I’ll tell you this: virtually all plein air artists I know support each other every day, together or apart, through the years, come rain, snowstorms, or overwhelming heat—no matter the hour. And they’ve gained much ground. You could learn something. If the artist in question felt any disappointment in not seeing his “peeps” that day, he never expressed it. These sentiments and observations are mine.
•
At the Diehl Gallery on Thursday, July 26th, join artists Monica and Tyler Aiello for the opening of “Galileo’s Garden,”5-8:00 pm. The show celebrates the “nexus of art and science.”
The Aiellos, says Diehl and the Art Association, will be in residency for two weeks at the Art Association, teaching their class, the Da Vinci Club; they will be joined by their scientific collaborator and mentor, Dr. David Grinspoon, from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. Dr. Grinspoon will present a free lecture, entitled Global Change, Human Survival & Alien Life, on July 24th at 6:30 p.m. at the Craig Thomas Discovery Center in Grand Teton National Park.
I’m a little whupped as I write this, so I’m going to quote press materials quite heavily! “Monica is known for her lush, mixed-media paintings that blend her deep interest in planetary science with a love for fiber, materials, process and content. She works closely with the planetary science community in both the development of her work and public programs which activate scientific inquiry through education and cultural outreach. Equally concerned with craft and concept, she has been recognized for developing innovative practice to explore the subject of photogeoloogy. Monica frequently consults with noted scientists involved with NASA missions in order to dissect the mysteries of our celestial neighbors. She then emulates their geologic history through ingenious uses of acrylic, paper, ink, gel, found materials, fiber, heat, air, gravity and water.
Tyler Aiello draws inspiration for his elegant sculpture from mathematics, biology, botany and chemistry, creating sensual, biomorphic forms out of industrial materials such as steel, wood, and light. He is known for his meticulous craftsmanship, laborious process and attention to detail – often building his own tools to create his work. Over the past few years, he has focused primarily on large-scale commissions for public and corporate art. He was recently commissioned by the City of Denver to create Leaves of Grass, a large outdoor steel sculpture for the historical Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater.”
Wicked cool! We are soooo about arts and science, together, here. www.diehlgallery.com
Tammy Christel 
