The 52nd annual National Juried Exhibition of Works on Paper, known as Brand 52, will open this month at the Brand Library & Art Center. The exhibition, a collaboration between Brand Associates, the Library & Art Center, and Glendale Library, Arts & Culture, will feature a public reception on Saturday, June 15, from 7-9 p.m. It will be available for viewing until August 9.
Juror Shana Nys Dambrot, an acclaimed art critic, author, and curator, selected over 100 artworks for the exhibition. The reception will showcase artists from a variety of backgrounds, including both emerging artists and established professionals.
This year, Brand Associates received over 1,500 artwork submissions through an open call process. Dambrot, an experienced juror, sought artworks that demonstrated skill, innovation, finesse, beauty, power, and a compelling message. She commented: “For this ‘Paper’ extravaganza, I’ve gathered works that I feel are in deep dialogue with each other across a few key vectors. First and foremost, profound engagement with the materiality of paper as a medium, and in some cases as an object itself. … Ultimately this is what everything I ended up including has in common — they embrace, elevate, explore and expand what a work on paper can be.”
Debra Thompson, the exhibition chairperson, president of Brand Associates, and recently retired adjunct assistant professor of art history at Glendale Community College, emphasized the significance of the event. She stated: “Epic is not a word to be used lightly or often, but it fits Brand 52 in many ways. This year saw the largest number of artworks entered (1,574) and the largest number of artists chosen for exhibition (102). Our artists have mastered a difficult medium through painting, drawing, cutting, folding, molding, tearing, adding and subtracting, gluing and taping, weaving and sewing. The results are by turn beautiful, profound and engaging. Epic, indeed.”
Most artworks displayed in Brand 52 will be available for purchase, with a portion of the proceeds supporting cultural programming at Brand. Art and catalogs will be for sale at the opening event and subsequently on the Associates’ website: AssociatesOfBrand.org.
Gallery admission is free and open to the public during library hours. On-site, limited, free parking is available, with ride-share encouraged. Brand Library & Art Center hours are: Tuesday – Thursday, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; closed Sunday and Monday. More information about Brand 52 can be found at brandlibrary.org. Brand Library & Art Center is located at 1601 W. Mountain St. in Glendale.
