The creative sparks of artists all around the 209 region are now on display at the Carnegie Arts Center in Turlock as part of the Carnegie Arts Showcase exhibit.

The exhibition features 88 pieces that were selected by jurors from more than 200 entries and awarded a total of $2,350 in prize money. The exhibition includes works from many established artists in the region and a number of artists who are appearing in the Carnegie’s galleries for the first time.

“This is what makes the show unique and exciting every year,” said Carnegie Arts Center Director Lisa McDermott.

The annual exhibition was open to entries in all media, which this year included paintings, watercolors, drawings, stained glass, ceramics, wood, photographs, fiber arts, collage, mixed media, and digital works. 

McDermott said that the exhibition “represents the wide range of creativity that we find in the visual arts of this region. We are reaching more artists every year and seeing an increasing variety in the works we get to feature.” 

The judges for the 2022 Showcase were: Lauren Baines, Interim Director at de Saisset Museum in Santa Clara University; Richard Gomez, painter and faculty member in the Global Arts Studies Program at UC Merced; and Jake Weigel, multi-disciplinary artist and sculptor and Art Department faculty member at CSU Stanislaus.

Awards were presented to: Best of Show went to Eddie O. Rodriguez of Merced, Darkest Hour, oil on panel; Awards of Excellence went to Mark Knize of Tracy, Self Portrait 2022, walnut & liquid amber wood and Sue Siefkin of Modesto for One Nation?, mixed media textile;  Awards of Merit were awarded to Stephen Abbas of Turlock for the The Weekend Ride, photograph; Vicki Gaia of Stockton, Chrysalis, mixed media on panel; Sara Lankutis of Stockton, Green Awning – Merced, acrylic on panel; Oscar Robledo of Manteca, Self Portrait, Jr., graphite on paper; Honorable Mentions were awarded to Tatiana Aguilera of Patterson, Meditation on the Spirit of Fire, acrylic on canvas; Sebastian Ambanloc of Salida, Eternal Bloom, digital art printed on canvas; Jennifer Fosgate of Merced, Feather Flight, mixed media collage; William Harris  of Modesto, Rick, photograph; Kate Jackson of Merced, Kuhmiinn A’lkkwenne  (Zuni – “Place of the Emergence of the People”), fluid acrylic on canvas; and Neil Mitchell of Livermore, One with Nature, oil on canvas.

The exhibit is on display through Sept. 3 in the Ferrari Gallery at the Carnegie Arts Center, which is located at 250 N. Broadway in Turlock. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Admission is $7 for general admission, $5 for seniors and students and free for Carnegie Arts Center members and children 12 and under. 

For more information and a list of all the artists included in the exhibit, visit carnegieartsturlock.org.