Aurora art gallery’s first juried show depicts ‘Life in Nebraska’ | Grand Island Local News

Aurora’s Cottonwood Gallery & Arts put out a call for artists to submit works depicting “Life in Nebraska.”

Artists answered the call, the gallery receiving 40 submissions for its first juried art show, the unveiling scheduled for Thursday evening at the gallery.

“(Life in Nebraska) is a very broad theme, and it’s based on interpretation of what that means to the artist,” said Cottonwood co-owner and artist Desiree Christenson. “You can see that the variety of what we’ve received, whether it be the composition, or the medium … artists attached artist statements. Some of those tell the story of what inspired the piece or how it connects to the life (in) Nebraska theme.”

Tori Swanson, Cottonwood co-owner and artist, said much of the art is landscape-focused and more “rural themed.” There are a few that particularly stuck out, including a painting of a Henry Doorly Zoo scene.

Swanson and Christenson declined to say which of the pieces were their favorites, but the submission period was “like Christmas morning.”

“We didn’t know what was inside because some of them were shipped to us from people who are further away,” Christenson said. “It was really fun, just opening them up and seeing what would come out.”

Some of the art hails from as far west as the Halsey and Thedford areas, and as far east as Omaha.

Jana Van Housen was selected as the show’s juror (judge). She said she based her judging on five main points: originality, impact/emotion, technique, composition/harmony and presentation.

Van Housen said she enjoyed judging the art submitted. “The ‘Life in Nebraska’ show is an excellent body of original works. Each of the artists who entered were thoughtful in their submitted choices,” she said.

Visitors don’t have to be an art expert to enjoy the show, Swanson said. “Just come in and really take a look at the art. Look at every single piece and just like kind of soak it in. I think there will be something for everybody to connect to.”

If a visitor has a piece that they especially connect to, they can submit their vote for the show’s “People’s Choice” award.

Besides the reception Thursday, the “Life in Nebraska” art will remain on display for the month of April.

Art in the gallery as a whole is created by artists from many walks of life, motivations and locations, Christenson said. “You’ll have the professional artist in the show and in our gallery, but also someone who is just a side hobby or a second mode of income.”

Prices for art vary from those hovering around $1,000 down to $2. That is intentional, Christenson said. “We have a lot of stationery and smaller pieces of art. You could come here to find even a gift item or something small.”

Swanson and Christenson said they, along with the artists displayed in the gallery, want to make art accessible to all. “We hope no one is intimidated to come here,” Christenson said. “I hope people will understand it’s not like a stuffy kind of like proper environment. We really want people to feel welcome to come in.”

Swanson and Christenson said there is no dress code for Thursday’s show. Some of the artists on display will be there available to answer questions and engage with visitors in discussions about the art. There will be refreshments.

The “Life in Nebraska” show is Cottonwood Gallery & Arts’ first juried show. In a way, it is also the gallery’s grand opening, Christenson explained. “We started in February 2020 and opened around May 2020, so we never got a grand opening or even a one-year opening. We hope we’ll have a lot of visitors and people come in to see what we’ve done here.”

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