Artist Kay Reed (from left), artist Linda DeMint, artist Dell Gorman, artist Melissa Abernathy, juror Virmarie DePoyster, and artist Crystal Jennings gather after the awards presentation during the reception for the 2022 Pine Bluff Art League Juried Exhibition on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022, at the Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas. Gerry DeLongchamp (not pictured) also received an award.
Crystal Jennings takes “Best in Show; League celebrates 80 Years
Arkansas Delta Informer Staff
PINE BLUFF, Ark – Sept. 9, 2022 – The winners of the 2022 “Pine Bluff Art League Annual Exhibition” were announced as the show opened Thursday, Sept. 8, with a reception at The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas (ASC).
The Pine Bluff Art League (PBAL) members represented in this show of 40 works include Melissa Abernathy, Julia Barrett, Phyllis Carter, Vickie Coleman, Richard Davies, Gerry DeLongchamp, Linda DeMint, Rhonda Fleming, Dell Gorman, Jenny Holley, Crystal Jennings, Kay Reed, Patty Sheffield, Claudia Spainhour, Margie Spharler, Edie Totty and Pamela J. Woolley.
The award winners are:
- Best in Show: Crystal Jennings, “Untitled”
- First Place: Gerry DeLongchamp, “Animal Love”
- Second Place: Melissa Abernathy, “Burned Out”
- Third Place: Kay Reed, “Summer Glad”
- Honorable Mention: Linda DeMint, “BK”
- Honorable Mention: Dell Gorman, “Small Stuff”
Juror Virmarie DePoyster, based in North Little Rock, was on hand to speak and present the awards at the reception. DePoyster is a full-time, professional artist and an artist in residence with the Arkansas Arts Council. Her show “Beyond Labels” was exhibited at ASC in late 2021.
“I’m always amazed at how much creativity is in Arkansas and how diverse the work is,” explained DePoyster. “When choosing the winners, the one thing that kept coming back was the skillset and if it looked like they had joy making it.”
During the reception, DePoyster commended and recognized the league as a whole. “Everyone here deserves recognition for living a creative life, for taking risks, and for making objects for us, the viewer, to experience your creativity.”
The reception highlighted the history of the league and showcased several of its accomplishments over the last 80 years. Longtime volunteer group Art Krewe and M.K. Distributors sponsored the reception.
The exhibition will remain on display in the International Paper Gallery through Nov. 5, 2022, and is sponsored by Pine Bluff Sand & Gravel Co.
The art league hosts monthly meetings from 2-4 p.m. on the first Sunday of each month at the Donald W. Reynolds Community Services Center, 211 W. Third St., in downtown Pine Bluff. Due to Labor Day, the next meeting will be Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. The public is invited to attend or contact the league by calling Vickie Coleman at 870-879-3825. Lyn Monk is the current PBAL president.
The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas (ASC), 701 S. Main St. in Pine Bluff, is accredited with the American Alliance of Museums. ASC presents programming in the visual arts, performing arts, and the sciences through exhibits, performances, classes and local partnerships. Gallery admission is free. ASC is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday–Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. In 2021, ASC opened two additional facilities as part of its “ARTx3” campus — The ARTSpace on Main and ART WORKS on Main, at 623 and 627 S. Main St. For more information, visit asc701.org or call 870-536-3375.
Support for ASC is provided in part by the ASC Endowment Fund, the City of Pine Bluff, the Pine Bluff Advertising & Promotion Commission and the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Division of Arkansas Heritage and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional operating support is provided in part by the Windgate Foundation, Ben J. Altheimer Foundation, Kline Family Foundation, Relyance Bank and Simmons Bank.
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