Shawn Marshall’s Thoreau’s Cabin, winner of the 2017 Mazin Annual Art Exhibition.
On Sunday November 12, 2017, artists, families and friends gathered in The J Patio Gallery for the opening reception of the Mazin Annual Art Exhibition. The first-place prize of $1000 went to Shawn Marshall, a visual arts teacher at North Oldham High School, for her oil on canvas, Thoreau’s Cabin. Marshall attributes the distinctive texture of this abstract landscape to her method of applying the pigments to the canvas.
“My background is in Architecture and Sculpture, and I used pallet knives to apply plaster,” Marshall says, “So when I started painting … I used pallet knives. It just seemed natural to me.”
Second place was given to Alexander Taylor for his oil painting Atrio de Las Monjas, San Miguel de Allende. He also received an honorable mention for Vacant Buildings at Noon and had another work selected for the show.
Mixed media artist, University of Louisville Art Department employee and Mazin third place winner, Erin Hoffman was excited for the chance to display her glasswork inspired by sound waves at The J. “You can do anything with glass,” Hoffman says. Charlie Bosco also received an honorable mention for his work Preparing for Thanksgiving.
The show, endowed by the Benjamin and Bernice Mazin Visual Arts Second Century Fund and produced by the JCL and the Jewish Community Center of Louisville, was brought to The J by local artist Bernice Mazin and her family.
Mazin’s granddaughter Emily Klempner, describes her grandmother’s passion for art and wish to provide opportunities for other artist. “Grandma wanted a place for artists to be able to show their work,” Klempner says.
Klempner’s sister Lauren Hummel expresses a similar sentiment. “Art is a very big part of our family,” Hummel says. “It is important for us to do our part to make sure we carry on the art and that we give other people an opportunity to have an outlet to do that as well.”
The goal of promoting talented artists has clearly been achieve in the thirteenth annual exhibition, which includes work from 14 different artists.
The J Arts and Ideas Program and Outreach Manager Marianne Zickuhr further explains the exhibition’s intent. “The hope is to provide a place for all types of artists – new artists, budding artists, seasoned artists – to apply to be a part of the show and get a chance to show their art in a gallery,” Zickhur says.
The 2017-2018 show displays variety not only in creators but also in mediums. Hand-blown glass, oil on canvas, photography, watercolor, quilting and acrylic all adorn the gallery space. The abundance of styles is also reminiscent of Mazin, who explored a multitude of artistic genres in her lifetime.
“You can see through all the eras and decades how her art has changed,” says Klempner. “She started off more realistic, and then it gets very abstract.”
The Mazin piece chosen for this years exhibition is an abstract painting, whose colors seem to reach subtly into the gallery’s open space.
Lindy Casebier, the Executive Director of Louisville Visual Art, served as the juror for the exhibition. “The work, all of it, was so incredible, and it was very difficult to choose,” Casebier says. “I think that is indicative of the level of work in Louisville. We are so blessed to have the talented artists in this community that we have.”