Exhibit Information
North of the 45th, 8th annual Upper Midwest juried exhibition
DeVos Art Museum, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, MI
June 5 - July 26, 2015
Juror: Lena Vigna, Curator of Exhibitions, Racine Art Museum, Racine, WI
The North of the 45th is an annual juried exhibition of artists living in the geographical area north of the 45th parallel in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. This line is known as the halfway point between the Equator and the North Pole, and crossing this line from the south is often associated with being “up north.” This exhibition showcases the breadth and depth of artists living in this upper Midwest region from both rural and urban areas. Each year a different juror is asked to select pieces for the exhibition from an open call for entries.
This marks the first year the museum will offer two cash prizes: Juror’s Choice is an award of $500 and the Audience Choice is a $250 award. Visitors to the exhibition will be able to vote on their favorite piece and the award will be given at the close of the exhibition.
Currently Curator of Exhibitions at the Racine Art Museum in Racine, Wisconsin, where she oversees the production and implementation of 10-15 exhibitions per year, Lena Vigna has a particular interest in the contemporary fields of adornment, sculpture, fiber, and installation. Lena has curated numerous solo and group exhibitions and written several essays that explore issues relevant to contemporary art and society.
Recent areas of investigation include political garments and accessories, jewelry that reconsiders the past in the present, contemporary chandeliers, extreme wearable and non-wearable garments, lace, and the relationship between jewelry and painting (the subject of a 2012 article in Metalsmith).
Lena was awarded a 2006 Craft Research Fund Project Grant from the Center for Craft, Creativity, and Design for an exhibition about contemporary approaches to lace (Laced with History) and received an Art Jewelry Forum Grant in 2009 for Adornment and Excess: Jewelry in the 21st Century. Named one of the top craft curators under 50 in a non-published museum survey, Lena is also a big fan of vintage clothes and custom cars.
Text from museum website.