2022 Midwest Regional Exhibition
Our 2022 Midwest Regional Exhibition was open to artists from all Midwest states, including: Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas. Out of around 400 entries, juror Kim Rae Taylor, selected 56 works to be included in the exhibition by 44 different artists, including a wide range of mediums.

Exhibiting Artists
Hector Acuna, Morgan Barrie, Bridgette Bogle, Lauren Brady, Alan Bundza, Derrick Burbul, Hannah Burnworth, Trevor Campbell, Karen Cooper, Pat DaRif, Jafet Garcia, Amanda Gargac, Helen Geglio, Chet Geiselman, Leslie Getz, Kate Gibson, Thomas Hirata, Jay Holladay, Devan Horton, Cullen Houser, Sarah Jones, John Kelty, Ronald Knepper, Kazhia Kolb, Ruth Koomler, Andrew Leicht, Timothy McNight, Jeffrey Meyer, Rob Millard-Mendez, Deborah Miller, Kimberly Obee, Bridget O’Brien, Tim Parsley, Anna Schenker, Jeff Schofield, Brittany Sievers, Wendi Smith, Diane Staver, Gregory Steel, Ian Summers, Mark Warpenburg, Ani Weitzel, Nicole Wetzel, and Eileen Woods.

Juror’s Statement

It has been both an honor and a challenge to serve as juror for the Artlink Regional Exhibition 2022. As an artist who has called the Midwest home for the last two decades, I know first-hand the broad range of creative talent that resides in this region. Jurying the nearly 400 entries from Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, and Wisconsin made it clear that artists from these 11 states have stayed engaged in their practice during the pandemic. It was inspiring and humbling to view so much thought-provoking artwork. 

Jurying from the pool of entries presented a great challenge as just under 60 pieces were selected for exhibition. The selected works employ a wide array of media, and there are various connections through theme, materials and approach. What resonated most was just how many of the works reflect the unique moment of time in which we live, as artists address the impact of COVID, express concern for the environment, and capture what it means to be human from a myriad of perspectives. 

Fiber, thread, wood, and other media typically associated with craft have a significant presence, with contemporary interpretations of traditional materials. I was also struck by the use of up-cycling to repurpose seemingly mundane objects, and by artwork featuring materials extracted from the Midwestern land itself. Narrative, the suggestion of storytelling, is found in a variety of works that seem to convey personal feeling and experience.

Some works of art find unique dialogue with one another as their materials and imagery give a sense of the region where they were created. Special recognition goes to the following works:  Connecting Circle by Brittany Sievers, comprised of wall-mounted, petal-shaped pieces of Ohio-dug clay, was awarded first place.  Rob Millard-Mendez’s wood and hardware sculpture, Consumer (Factory Farming) captures the complicated relationship between consumer culture and the natural world, to receive the second place award. Pat DaRif’s Letting Go suggests memory through narrative as black and white photos printed on fiber swatches are stitched together, receiving the third place award.  

Three artists’ works each received honorable mention: Bridgette Bogle’s Lifeguard, a sculpture of c-section belts; Chet Geiselman’s stained and shaped wood Untitled Bas-relief #146; and Leslie Getz’s watercolor with graphite portrait, For There is Always Light.

I hope you will find inspiration as you view the work in this exhibition. And I also hope the artists represented here, along with all artists of the Midwest and beyond, continue responding to the world around them through art, even as the pandemic still seems far from over. "

--Kim Rae Taylor 

About the Juror

Kim Rae Taylor is a visual artist and Associate Professor of Fine Art for the University of Cincinnati Clermont College. She received her MFA from the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP) at the University of Cincinnati, and her BFA from The College of Fine Arts of the University of Texas at Austin. Additional studies include the University of Georgia in Cortona, Italy, and the Metáfora Center for Art Therapy Studies in Barcelona, Spain. She spent more than two decades working as a graphic artist, including work in cartoon animation and product design. She travels frequently for work and research, and has been an artist in residence at Taipei Artist Village in Taiwan, Red Gate in Beijing, and Cill Rialaig in County Kerry, Ireland. Taylor works with a variety of themes that draw from nature, language and gender. She is currently the 2021—2022 artist in residence for two-dimensional art at the Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach, Florida.