Art Speaks Juried Exhibition 2022

Our statewide juried exhibition is now open! View the artwork online here or in the Art Speaks Gallery. When viewing online, sort in A to Z order to view the award winners first.

This statewide show brings the best of Virginia's contemporary artists to our small-town gallery on the Chesapeake Bay. We showcase two- and three-dimensional artwork from all Virginia artists.

Thank you to our award sponsors! Your support of Virginia artists is appreciated.

Here are some comments from our juror and the list of accepted artists:

"All of the work submitted here shows incredible talent and a mastery of materials. And every submission was worthy of being exhibited. So as a juror, how to decide which work of art to include to the exclusion of others? At this time, in this place, and for this exhibit, the primary parameters for the selection of work were viewer involvement, eliciting an emotional response." Wendy Wells-Finn   Read the rest of Wendy's comments below.

 Wendy Wells-Finn, Bay School Founder, Juror and Judge, 2022 Art Speaks Juried Exhibition   

It’s incredibly challenging to be a juror for an exhibit.   I recall being rejected for a juried show. I was stunned and perhaps a little offended but now I understand.   My work was not being rejected – it simply meant that my painting did not support the juror’s vision.  It didn’t mean that my work was not good.  It was not a criticism of my efforts. 

 All of the work submitted here shows incredible talent and a mastery of materials. And every submission was worthy of being exhibited.   So as a juror, how to decide which work of art to include to the exclusion of others?

 At this time, in this place, and for this exhibit, the primary parameters for the selection of work were viewer involvement, eliciting an emotional response.

 A display of paintings or pictures that draw you in; that cause you to stop, tilt your head, to wonder, to become involved.  It is an invitation to respond emotionally. The work may compel the viewer or even repel the viewer. It may intrigue, it may cause discomfort, you may love it or you may be indifferent. Each time you look at it you might see something different.

 I hope that each artist and each observer benefits from the 2022 Art Speaks Gallery Juried Show. Thank you for the honor of being a part of it.

Wendy has been creating and teaching for over 25 years.  Primarily self-taught, she studied with PBS Series Instructor and Award Winning painter Barclay Sheaks, and renowned artists Pat Dews, John Barber, Carrie Burns Brown, Nita Leland and others.  Winner of juried show awards, her work is in collections across the US and Europe.  Honored with a one-woman exhibit, nominated for the Alli Award, and recognized in the Int’l Art Expo in New York City, her other works include costume and set design for Grammy winning artists.  She is the Founder & Past Executive Director of the Bay School Community Arts Center in Mathews, VA.  

 After leaving the Bay School Wells worked as the Executive Director of the Morgan Arts Council before relocating to New York City. She spent the next years working as a consultant in the non-profit field of arts and art education, designing and implementing programs for The Central Park Conservancy Scholars Program and the Museum of Art & Design in NYC and the Salvadori Center.  In 2016, Wells opened LMNTL Art gallery and studio and in 2020 relocated the studio to Tappahannock, Virginia where she is proud to be a member of the Tappahannock Art Gallery and the Rappahannock Art League.  

 “My art takes many forms. Sometimes I try to make statements about the world and my place in it.  And sometimes I just make things. I create what wasn’t there before.” – Wendy Wells, You can visit her website at www.LMNTLart.com