(TRENTON, NJ) -- Trenton City Museum invites artists to submit artwork for consideration in Ellarslie Open 41. Kimberly Camp, renowned as an artist, educator, museum leader, and gallery owner, will jury the 2024 show. Trenton City Museum will accept entries online from May 13 to June 13.
Artists may submit a total of up to four pieces. Entry categories are Sculpture; Paintings; Works on Paper; Photography; Digital Art, which will include Video for the first time. Entry instructions and schedule are at ellarslie.org/EO41. The top award, Best In Show Overall, carries a prize of $1000. Monetary awards are also given for first place in each category and for special sponsored awards whose criteria and subject matter vary. Best In Show Overall in 2023 was awarded to David Orban of Hamilton, NJ, whose work is on view in the new show Space & Clutter, along with works by Jackie Lima of Easton, PA, and Paul Smith of Brooklyn, NY.
Showcasing contemporary work by established and emerging artists from across the region and beyond, the Ellarslie Open has developed into the area’s premier annual juried exhibition. In 2023 it marked its 40th showing with 150 pieces selected from 637 entered. Exhibiting artists were based in the greater Trenton area and across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and beyond. An Artists and Members Reception and Awards Ceremony Saturday, July 13, will be followed by a Public Reception Sunday, July 14, from 1:00pm to 4:00pm. Ellarslie Open 41 will be on view through September 29. Dates for gallery talks related to the exhibition will be announced.
JUROR KIMBERLY CAMP - Ellarslie Open 41 Juror Kimberly Camp’s paintings and dolls have appeared in over 100 solo and group exhibitions. The recipient of two National Endowment for the Arts fellowships and a Kellogg National Leadership Program Fellowship, Camp also served as a museum president and CEO for 25 years and has taught at several colleges and universities, including Rutgers Camden, Lincoln, and Drexel universities. Cultural institutions she led include the Smithsonian Institution Experimental Gallery, of which she was a founding director (1989 – 1993); Detroit’s Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History (President and CEO 1994 – 2004); and the Barnes Foundation in Merion, PA (President and CEO 1998 to 2005). She founded and operates Galerie Marie, located in Collingswood, NJ, where people can see her work and that of over 200 international artists. She has been featured in Nouvel Objet, FiberArts, National Geographic World, the Village Voice and Smithsonian. Camp received the 2020 ACC Award of Excellence: Craft Makes Us Human for her debut show with the organization, and the Gold Award/Best of Show at the 51st Annual Peters Valley Craft Fair.
The Trenton City Museum is housed in Ellarslie Mansion, an 1848 Italianate Villa in the heart of Trenton’s historic Cadwalader Park, which was designed by the legendary Frederick Law Olmsted. The building is owned by the City of Trenton and operated by the nonprofit Trenton Museum Society, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023. The museum’s programming explores and celebrates Trenton’s history and culture, showcases contemporary art, artists, and performers, and offers community events, classes, and workshops for all ages. Museum and museum store hours are Fridays and Saturday from 12:00pm to 4:00pm and Sundays from 1:00pm to 4:00pm. There is no admission fee, but donations in support of the museum’s mission and programs are welcomed.
