Essex County seniors invited to participate in juried art show

Nonprofessional and professional senior citizen artists who are 60 and older and reside in Essex County are invited to participate in the 2022 Essex County Senior Citizens Juried Art Show and Exhibition. The deadline to submit artwork is Wednesday, Aug.

“Essex County has a thriving arts community and our Senior Art Show enables our older residents, both professionals and non-professionals, to display their original creations where everyone can see them,” said Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. “This is an excellent means for us to promote the arts and inspire our residents to use their talents. I encourage our seniors to submit their work and invite our residents to visit the Art Show,” he added.

Senior citizens will be considered as professional artists if they meet at least two of the following conditions: have sold their art through commercial channels including craft fairs; have shown their artwork in professional galleries or professional art exhibits for two or more years; have had their work selected in two or more juried art or craft shows; have received two or more awards for their work; or have a professional membership in an artist’s or craft person’s guild or association. Seniors with non-professional status do not meet at least two of the above criteria.

Awards will be presented in the following categories: acrylic painting, craft, digital, mixed media, oil painting, pastel, print, photography, sculpture, watercolor painting and works on paper. First-place winners will be eligible to participate in the New Jersey Senior Art Contest.

Seniors can submit two entries of original artwork that were completed within the last three years. Artwork must be matted, mounted or framed, with screw eyes and wire attached. Hanging artwork may be no larger than 30 inches in any dimension or smaller than 10 inches in any dimension. Sculpture or 3-D crafts cannot exceed 20 inches in any dimension.

All photographs of the artwork must be clearly labeled with the following information: the artist’s name, address, title of work, medium, date created, size, professional or non-professional status, and approximate value of the painting.

For more information or to obtain an application, go to www.essexcountynj.org or contact Jackie Matthews at 973-735-6228 or [email protected].