06/14/2026
Hello Members,
Yesterday was our spring show reception and prize awards, and I'm pleased to share the results and some images of them with you. I congratulate the winners, and at the same time emphasize that there were many. many outstanding pieces that raised the overall quality of this show to an impressive level. I'll talk more about it in the July newsletter, but I wanted to inform you of juror Laura Truitt's selections while they are still fresh in our minds, and encourage you to go to Urbana to see the show if you haven't yet done so - last day is June 30. It's worth the trip!
~ Tessa
Editing to add the Juror Statement and Bio
Juror Statement -
It was a pleasure to spend time with the WOWS exhibit, and an honor to be a juror. I appreciate that it truly is an honor - every piece in the exhibit is worthy of attention, and selecting a limited number of artworks was a challenge.
The seven artworks chosen for awards stood out because they all exhibit innovative techniques, interesting or nuanced content and technical skill of the medium. They may be moving and narrative, or complex and layered or technically extraordinary - but they all have a vision and are executed tremendously well - my congratulations!
To all of the artists; my compliments for creating such a beautiful exhibit, with so many different ways of approaching the medium. It's not always easy to have the courage to make new work, to exhibit it, and then to allow it to be judged. Your hard work and expertise is evident, and inspiring.
- Laura Carpenter Truitt
Juror Bio
Laura Truitt is an artist and teacher living in Yellow Springs, OH. She is currently the Gallery Coordinator at Rosewood Arts Center and the coordinator for Adult Wellness Programming at the Springfield Museum of Art and has taught drawing and painting at Oberlin College, Gonzaga University and Colorado State University. In addition to completing her MFA in painting at Colorado State University Laura studied painting and drawing at Goucher College, the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland, Vermont Studio Center and the Chicago Art Institute.
Truitt is represented by the William Havu Gallery in Denver and has shown her work all over the country including the Jundt Art Museum in Spokane, the Manifest Gallery in Cincinnati, The Painting Center in New York, the Arvada Center in Colorado, Coker College in South Carolina, Wabash College in Indiana and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver. She has been a featured artist in Ruminate Magazine, and her work was published in Manifest Gallery’s INPA 7 Painting Annual. You can see more of her current and past work at www.lauracarpentertruitt.com.
The photos don't do these paintings justice - the reflections were unavoidable...
