Owensboro Museum of Fine Art

Uncommon Wealth: Al Smith Fellowships

An Exhibition Organized by the Kentucky Arts Council

August 26 - September 23, 2007

JEANNETTE, oil on canvas, 2003,
Jim Cantrell, Bardstown, Kentucky,
Collection of the Artist, 1992 Al Smith
Fellowship Award

BALANCE # 2, acrylic on Hydrocal,
Tom Pfannerstill, Louisville, Kentucky,
Collection of the Artist, 2002 Al Smith Fellowship Award

CHERRY, oil on canvas,
Debra Clem, Louisville, Kentucky,
Collection of the Artist,
2006 Al Smith Fellowship Award

COMMUNITY GARDEN: BATH ENGLAND, oil on canvas, 2005,
KEVIN MUENTE, Erlanger, Kentucky,
Collection of the Artist, 2006 Al Smith Fellowship Award

The Owensboro Museum of Fine Art’s 30th anniversary season, designed to celebrate Kentucky art, opens with an exhibition of more than 100 works by recipients of the Commonwealth’s prestigious Al Smith Fellowship Awards. The exhibition showcases the accomplishments of 67 of Kentucky’s leading contemporary artists and includes current works as well as selections from the museum’s permanent collection by these award winners. A wide variety of media is represented including painting, sculpture, graphics, photography, fiber art, ceramics, glass, video and mixed media.

This exhibition celebrates twenty-five years of Al Smith Fellowships, a grant program awarded by the Kentucky Arts Council and designed to recognize and encourage excellence among Kentucky visual and media artists. These highly competitive fellowships are named for Al Smith, Lexington, KY, a former Arts Council Chairman (1977-1980), journalist, newspaper publisher, civic leader and noted host of KET’s public affairs program, “Comment on Kentucky.”

“UNCOMONWEALTH: AL SMITH FELLOWSHIPS” continues the missions of the Kentucky Arts Council and the Owensboro Museum of Fine Art to support the creative efforts of artists and craftsmen working across the commonwealth. The exhibition will be presented at several other Kentucky venues through June 2008.

THE ARTISTS

Dobree Adams, Frankfort; Patrick B. Adams, Nicholasville; Philis Alvic, Lexington; Sean Anderson, Lexington; Steve Armstrong, Lexington; Tom Bartel, Bowling Green; David Bartlett, Morehead; Garry R. Bibbs, Lexington; Patt Blue, Paducah; Peter Bodnar III, Louisville; Jim Bryant, Almo; Ken Landon Buck, Highland Heights; Tom Butsch, Louisville; Jim Cantrell, Bardstown; Nancy Fletcher Cassell, Union; Kim Chalmers, Bowling Green; Ying Kit Chan, Louisville; Debra Clem, Louisville; Steve Davis-Rosenbaum, Lexington; Brad Devlin, Louisville; Stephen Driver, Owensboro; Gaela A. Erwin, Louisville; Warren Farr, Paducah; Gerald Ferstman, Lexington; Linda Fifield, McKee; Valerie Sullivan Fuchs, Shelbyville; Kurt Gohde, Lexington; Lida G. Gordon, Louisville; Gwen Heffner, Berea; Shayne Hull, Louisville; Walter Hyleck, Berea; Judith Pointer Jia, Danville; Scott Massey, Louisville; Michael Maydak, Union; Gabrielle Mayer, Louisville; Michael Thomas McCardwell, Shelbyville; Elizabeth Mesa-Gaido, Morehead; Gary Mesa-Gaido, Morehead; David Mohallatee, Richmond; Joseph Molinaro, Lexington; J. Barry Motes, Prospect; Kevin Muente, Erlanger; Mary E. Newton, Louisville; Gary J. Noland, Jr., Lexington; Connie Noyes, Paducah; Yvonne Petkus, Bowling Green; Thomas Pfannerstill, Louisville; C. J. Pressma, Louisville; Letitia Quesenberry, Louisville; Esther E. Randall, Berea; Arturo Alonzo Sandoval, Lexington; Sandy Miller Sasso, Almo; Randy Simmons, Paducah; Guinever Smith, Louisville; Karen Spears, Lexington; David Stratton, Owensboro; Erika Strecker, Lexington; Zoe Strecker, Harrodsburg; Lawrence Tarpey, Lexington; Robert Tharsing, Lexington; Mary Tortorici, Richmond; Travis Townsend, Richmond; Russell Weedman, Williamsburg; Brook Forrest White, Jr., Louisville; Gayle Williamson, Louisville; David Zurick, Berea and Jennifer Heller Zurick, Berea