Five selected as outstanding at Art in the Park

[July 29, 2016]   LINCOLN - This year, five artists were selected as the Best of the best at the Lincoln Art in the Park Festival. On Saturday, judges Jen Grimaldi, Chris Tice, and Jason Hoffman, all experienced local artists, had their work cut out for them as they traveled from art booth to art booth, evaluating the displays, and trying to decide to whom, they would give this year’s top honors.

At 1 p.m., five artists were pulled away from their booths, and the award presentation was given by Dr. Pamela Moriearty of the Logan County Arts, with assistance from Kari Adams of the Lincoln/Logan Chamber of Commerce.

The Best New Artist at the show this year was named as Gary Webter. Moriearty noted that the sponsorship of the Best New Artist ribbon was given by the Logan County Arts. She said that Gary is an open-air artist with 95 percent of his painting being done outside in nature. During their judging, it was noted that Gary had excellent subject matter and that his paintings were very pleasing.

The next four awards were given based on overall judging.

Third place was awarded to Randy and Joy Turner of Larkfield Glass. Judges noted that the artists did very nice work with a great use of color and pattern.

Second place winner was Scott Sternberg. Scott is a photo artist, who offered a wide variety of subjects in his pieces. The judges said all three were drawn to, and impressed by, a piece Scott had titled “Cracked Glass.”

The first place winner this year was Herb Brown with his excellent exhibit of jewelry. The judges noted that Herb displayed some excellent silver work and sculptural work.

The Best of Show award was given to a frequent entry at the Arts in the Park, Alice Jaeger-Ashland for her multi-colored block print art. The judges noted that Alice is always consistent in the show she brings to Lincoln and offers excellent quality in all her pieces.

Moriearty noted that in the five, the judges had chosen from the wide variety of mediums for their awards which demonstrated the versatility of the offerings at the annual festival.

After the judging, Dr. Moriearty graciously provided the following information on the judges and their qualifications, as well as the judging process, at the Lincoln Art in the Park Festival.

Jennifer Hemberger Grimaldi

Jennifer Hemberger Grimaldi is a central Illinois native. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in Art with a specialty in education, and her Master’s degree from Boston University in art education. She has taught art at the secondary level for over ten years.

Jennifer's work explores art as a form of communication. She works with many different mediums, including traditional canvas painting, airbrush painting, glass work, jewelry metalsmithing, ceramics, sculpture and drawing. She views art as a means to articulate the thoughts we cannot always verbally express.

Jason Hoffman

Jason Hoffman was born in Fairbury, Illinois and was raised in a heritage of farming, carpentry, and traditional woodworking. His early skill in drawing was transformed during his college years by his introduction to the work of metal by artist David Smith. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Illinois State University in 2005 and continues to work with ISU faculty in art curation projects.

Hoffman has exhibited his two-dimensional and three-dimensional work around the Midwest and in New York, and has collaborated with fellow artist Moses Pinkerton in the design and production of public metalwork sculptures. His artworks demonstrate meticulous attention to design and emphasize the physical integrity of his materials.

Christopher Tice

Christopher A. Tice obtained a Master of Science in Arts Technology and a Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture from Illinois State University. He currently works as a SIS Administrator at Midwest Technical Institute and has held positions as a faculty member at Lincoln College and Illinois State University in the Fine Arts and Arts Technology programs. In addition to teaching, he has also been involved in many community-based art projects and has served as a technical consultant.

Tice’s creative work explores the intersection between art and technology and their relationship with and impact on society. He draws from rich traditions of craftsmanship and conceptualism. His mastery of multiple art processes gives him insight into both the technical and aesthetic importance of art making as both a commodity and as an influence on our daily lives.

Judge Jennifer Grimaldi commented, “I enjoy judging because I like seeing all the new and innovative ideas that the artists come up with every year. In fact, the biggest challenge is narrowing down all the candidates to select a single winner for each category.”

Logan County Arts member Pam Moriearty, who coordinates the judging and awards activities, noted, “We’re fortunate to have Jen, Chris and Jason back as judges again this year. The wide range of their experience and artistic approaches means that they understand the many artists’ aims and methods. And they work very well as a team to come to a consensus in choosing the final recipients.”

Being an art judge means weighing a variety of factors when considering each piece of art. The Arts in the Park judges evaluate the works with a set of considerations they have agreed on beforehand. These include detailed analysis of the ideas or vision expressed in the work, the skill with which the work is executed, and the proficiency of presentation.

[Nila Smith with Dr. Pamela Moriearty]