CALL FOR ARTISTS. Friends, family, and artisans from across the state gathered at 6pm on March 27 at the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library (400 Eau Claire St., Eau Claire) for the Wisconsin ArtsWest 46 reception.

The 46th annual juried Wisconsin ArtsWest exhibition, hosted by the L.E. Phillips Memorial Library, recently celebrated artists and jurors from across the state. The event showcased a diverse range of artistic mediums within the library's art gallery, a service offered to community members and residents of Eau Claire.

Community members, artists, friends, and family gathered together at 6pm on March 27 at the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library (400 Eau Claire St., Eau Claire) for this year's ArtsWest reception. Attendees gathered on the third floor in the Riverview Room, where awards, refreshments, and laughter filled the air as artistic achievements of the evening were celebrated.

"Art can and does make a difference and we are so honored to support that impact."

MIKE PAULUS

DIGITAL SERVICES AND MARKETING SPECIALIST

Mike Paulus, digital services and marketing specialist at the library — and the emcee for the evening’s reception — described the vital role art plays in the city’s ability to communicate a broad spectrum of ideas to all people. Both visual and performing arts are powerful components of the library’s year-round collections and services, he said.

“Art can transform understanding and appreciation of the world and its cultural diversity,” Paulus said. “Art can and does make a difference and we are so honored to support that impact.”

Posters, brochures, and other materials for the reception featured graphic design work from Marisa Valdez, an arts student from UW-Eau Claire. Students in a senior level graphic arts course at the university were tasked with designing the annual Wisconsin ArtsWest campaign as a project, Paulus said. The library’s visual arts committee chose Valdez's design among 30 proposals.

STUDENT COLLABORATION. Posters, brochures (pictured above), and other materials for the reception featured graphic design work from Marisa Valdez, an arts student from UW-Eau Claire.

One week prior to the reception, Melissa Dorn, juror for Wisconsin ArtsWest 46, traveled from their home-base of Milwaukee to consider the final selections for best of show, first prize, second prize, and third prize. The awarded pieces would also earn cash rewards, donated by the Friends of the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library organization.

“There is so much good work right outside our doors and there's so much good work that was submitted,” Dorn said. “I know exactly where I was sitting every time I (reviewed a piece), with a tea right next to me.”

First prize recipient, Janice Robert's The Local Store Deliveries. The piece is available to purchase for $225.

Of the many submissions Dorn reviewed, four artists were awarded for their selected work. Janice Roberts, the first-prize winner and a visual arts community specialist with the library, drew inspiration for her piece, The Local Store Deliveries, from familiar sights around her.

Roberts explained her piece used The Local Store's (205 N. Dewey St., Eau Claire) historic landmark architecture as its subject matter, featuring a top-down view. Playing with ink, watercolors, and coffee wash, she aimed to highlight how time and weather had changed the surfaces of the iron fence.

While riding her bike along the building, she noticed the stacked boxes and wondered what merchandise would be inside, imagining weight, worth, or what was immediately necessary for the workday ahead.

“Could it be something as humble as envelopes, gift bags, and custom designed gift boxes? How long has it been there?” Roberts said. “This soon led to me daydreaming about what I might see from the street just after the building was originally constructed.”

Artwork featured in the juried exhibition remains available for purchase; a complete price list was available to attendees at the March 27 reception. To connect with an artist and purchase their work, contact Melany Bartig, library associate, at (715) 833-5305.

Best in show recipient, Ross Nordquist's Hephaestus. The piece is available to purchase for $888.

Ross Nordquist, best in show recipient with a history of woodworking and artisanal sculpture, has hand carved tables from large pieces of wood for years — his craftsmanship revealing the sculpture within.

The winning piece in ArtsWest 46, Hephaestus, was created as a result of the progression of Nordquist's previous works. At first glance, this piece may evoke a sense of unease, but the influences of Greek mythology and personal narrative imbue it with a deeper significance — a self-portrait in abstract wood, he explained.

“Hephaestus was an idea for creating a table that was tipped or bent over,” Nordquist said. “As it was made, it took on its own personality. Questioning the function of a simple table has led me down a road of self exploration and what it means to be an artisan.”

Pieces from the current exhibition will be on display in the library’s third-floor art gallery until May 27 • To see additional photos of the exhibit and the reception, see our photoset online • To view a digital version of Wisconsin ArtsWest 46 — or access the library’s hours of operation — visit www.ecpubliclibrary.info