30th Annual Regional Exhibit at the Artist Cooperative Gallery of Westerly

The Artists’ Cooperative Gallery of Westerly is pleased to announce the opening of its Annual Regional Art Exhibit. During the Opening Reception on Friday, April 4th from 5-8 PM, all are invited to view the newest and best work of artists from across the Northeast while enjoying refreshments provided by the gallery member artists and local vendors. Fine art and craft in all mediums will be on view and, this year, over $3000 will be awarded for outstanding work. Awards will be announced during the Opening Reception at 6:30 PM. Following its long tradition, every year the Gallery invites a new, distinguished juror who brings a fresh energy and perspective to each Regional Exhibit, selecting a wide variety of work in an extensive range of mediums. This year, ACGOW is honored to welcome Susan Fisher, Executive Director and Chief Curator at the Mystic Museum of Art. Ms. Fisher received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Her extensive background includes serving as Executive Director and Curator at Taos Art Museum, as well as positions at the Georgia O’Keefe Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Miquon School. Ms. Fisher will be responsible for curating the exhibit and determining the award winners in the following categories: Excellence in Photography, The Katherine Forest Craft Foundation Fine Crafts Awards which include: the Louise Forest Gibbons, the Joseph Gaulteri, the Alice Clark Hubbard, the Mabel Kingsbury Fentress, and the Mary Ann Hall awards for fine crafts. Additional awards include the Teddy Goberis Award for excellence in Ceramics, The Louise Pittaway Award for Excellence in Painting, the Watch Hill Oysters Award for Fine Art Watercolor, the Nancy Verbila Memorial Award for Collage Mixed Media, the Granite Photo gift certificate for Photography, the Gert Rodin Award for creativity and three Juror’s Choice Awards sponsored by the Washington Trust Bank, Dick Blick and ACGOW. The Regional Show show is made possible, in part, through the generosity of Valenti Toyota of Westerly. The show runs April 3rd through April 27th. Gallery Shop The Gallery Shop in the West wing of the Gallery continues to offer beautiful spring inspired gift items, cards and prints, all finely crafted by gallery artists. Painting Classes Member artist Tammy Blais will continue to offer her popular series of Palette Knife Painting classes. April classes will be held on Tuesday, April 8th from 2-4pm and on Tuesday, April 22nd from 5:30-7:30pm. No experience is necessary, and participants will complete a 6"x 8" painting in a single session. All materials are included. Simply bring some inspiration and the desire to explore your creativity and have fun! The cost of each session is $50 and pre-registration is required. To sign up, contact Ms. Blais at tammy@tammyblaisart.com. The Artists’ Cooperative Gallery of Westerly is a 501-(c) 3 non-profit organization run by artist members and volunteers who contribute to all aspects of running the gallery. It is located at 14 Railroad Avenue, Westerly, RI. Gallery Hours are: Wednesday to Saturday, 11AM-7PM and Sunday 1-5 PM. For information about shows, artists or membership, please call 401-596-2221, visit ACGOW on Facebook, or visit www.westerlyarts.com.