(TRENTON, NJ) -- Thirty-one of 134 exhibiting artists received awards during the June 25 Artists Reception for Ellarslie Open 39 at Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie Mansion. The annual juried exhibition showcases this year over 160 artworks by artists from greater Trenton and throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York, as well as Massachusetts, Washington, DC, and Texas. Deborah Oliver oversaw the installation of the diverse artwork that fills gallery and display areas throughout the museum. Most of the artwork is available for purchase.
Before a crowd of 350 artists and guests, Trenton Museum Society’s Patricia Allen, juror Walter Wickiser, and Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora gave welcoming remarks, with Mayor Gusciora then delivering the awards.
Carole Doerr Allen of Flemington, NJ, won the Doug Palmer Award for Best in Show, Overall, for her painting “Dark Horse; Storm Approaching” (shown at the top of this article).
“If the exhibition offered unlimited space, I would have chosen all artists who entered,” said juror Walter Wickiser of New York City’s Walter Wickiser Gallery. “All had something important to express and were worthy. My choices and awards were no easy task, as I felt for each and every artist and artwork.”
"Summer Haze" by Kathleen Beausoleil
Category winners were Tasha Branham (digital), North Brunswick, NJ; Diane Greenberg (drawing), New Hope, PA.; Caroline Feiveson (fiber arts), Princeton, NJ; David Gootnick (mixed media), Washington, DC; Kathleen Beausoleil (painting), Fair Haven, NJ; Alexandra Pietsch (pastel), Ewing, NJ; Jeffrey Weiser (photography), Bensalem, PA; Marc Schimsky (printmaking), Yardley, PA; Michael Pascucci (sculpture), Monroe Twp., NJ; and Elizabeth Oberman (watercolor), Flemington, NJ.
Janis Purcell of East Windsor, NJ, received the President’s Award; Ann Thomas of Stockton, NJ, received the Curator’s Award; and Yun Li of West Windsor, NJ, received the Installation Award.
Joan Perkes, President of the Board of Trustees of the Trenton Museum Society, said, “On my part there is no Trenton City Museum event that makes me more proud, and I am deeply indebted to the Board and our volunteers for their unflagging support and loyalty to the work of the Museum and to the City of Trenton.”
"Cosmos at Phillips" by Ann Thomas
Ellarslie Open 39 will remain on view through October 2, with related gallery talks and events to take place later in the summer and early fall. Trenton City Museum is open Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 4:00pm, and Sundays, 1:00pm to 4:00pm. While there is no admission charge, donations in support of the museum’s mission and programs are appreciated.
Trenton City Museum is housed in Ellarslie Mansion, an 1848 Italianate Villa on the National Historic Register, located in the heart of Trenton’s Cadwalader Park. The historic and popular park was designed by the legendary Frederick Law Olmsted, born in 1822, who designed such landmarks as New York City’s Central Park. The museum showcases exhibitions of contemporary painting and sculpture, along with ongoing and changing displays that explore Trenton’s rich industrial and cultural history. The Trenton Museum Society works with the City of Trenton to support the museum’s operations and programming and will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its founding in 2023.
ELLARSLIE OPEN 39 AWARDS
Doug Palmer Award for Best in Show – Overall, Carole Doerr Allen, Dark Horse; Storm Approaching
Best in Show – Digital, Tasha Branham, Plants Are Friends
Runner Up – Digital, Madelaine Shellaby, Birds In the House (Cockatoo)
Honorable Mention – Digital, Lorraine Raywood, Lawn, spring
Best in Show – Drawing, Diane Greenberg, Waiting In the Wings
Jerry’s Artarama Award for Runner Up – Drawing, Bill Donnelly, Rippled Reflections
Honorable Mention – Drawing, Linda Rohne, Portrait of Lili
Hunter Research Award for Best in Show – Fiber Art, Caroline Feiveson, Tangled
Runner Up – Fiber Art, Janis Purcell, Garden Delight I
Honorable Mention – Fiber Art, Caroline Feiveson, What If?
David Chiacchio Award for Best in Show – Mixed Media, David Gootnick, Imperial Gates #1
Runner Up – Mixed Media, Renee Kumar, La Primavera
Honorable Mention – Mixed Media, Basia Andrusko, Emu Energy Blast
Mel Leipzig Award for Best in Show – Painting, Kathleen Beausoleil, Summer Haze
Runner Up – Painting, Philip Carroll, Vanitas
"Vanitas" by Philip Carroll
Honorable Mention – Painting, Edward Mills, The Four Seasons Outside My Window
Cedar Run Wildlife Center Award for Best in Show – Pastel, Alexandra Pietsch, Betsy Ross
Runner Up – Pastel, Norman Simms, Victoria
Honorable Mention – Pastel, Lisa Kennedy, Inner Light
Diane and Kali Ciccone Award for Best in Show – Photography, Jeffrey Weiser, Patrick MacDonald, Navajo Code Talker
Runner Up – Photography, David W. Timothy, Surrendered
Honorable Mention – Photography, Andres Muñoz, Apetito Nocturna
Rago Award for Best in Show – Printmaking, Marc Schimsky, Secrets in Vienna
Runner Up – Printmaking, Bill Brookover, Grand Collision
Frank Weeden Memorial Award for Best in Show – Sculpture, Michael Pascucci, Warrior (Female)
Runner Up – Sculpture , J. Marion Simmons, Still Waiting
Honorable Mention – Sculpture , Carol Magner, Downward Dog
Garden State Watercolor Society Award – Watercolor, Elizabeth Oberman, Father and Son
In Memory of Robert Sakson – Watercolor, Richard Hoffman, Springtime Across the Delaware River
Honorable Mention – Watercolor, Mark Schreiber, The Family Portrait
President’s Award, Janis Purcell, Garden Delight I
Curator’s Award, Ann Thomas, Cosmos at Phillips
Installation Award, Yun Li, Contemplation
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