QUINCY — The Quincy Art Center has announced that the 31st annual Mary S. Oakley & Lee Lindsay Area Artist Showcase has shattered previous participation records, marking a historic year for this beloved exhibition.
This year, 322 artworks were submitted by 140 individual artists, a dramatic increase over the previous record-holding year, 2019, which saw 233 artworks entered by 93 artists.
The juror for this year’s showcase was Joshua Johnson, MFA, of the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa. Johnson devoted several hours on Nov. 2 to reviewing and deliberating on all 322 submissions.
Drawing on his background, experience and the relationships he observed between the works, Johnson selected pieces for this year’s showcase. After this competitive selection process, 100 pieces by 74 artists were chosen to be featured in the exhibit, representing 31% of all entries. This means roughly 69% of submissions were not accepted, underscoring the exceptional level of competition and artistic engagement this year.
The exhibition will open to the public with a free reception from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 21, at the Quincy Art Center. Awards will be presented at 6:30 p.m., including Best of Show, second and third place, the Linda Buechting Watercolor Award, six merit awards, and six honorable mentions.
The 31st annual Mary S. Oakley & Lee Lindsay Area Artist Showcase will remain on view through Jan. 10, and admission to the exhibit is free and open to the public.