The organizers of the Newmarket Juried Art Show (NJAS) took to heart the well-known credo that "the show must go on."
With the closure of Serpa Galleries in Newmarket’s Old Town Hall due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, this year’s art show is being held online beginning Oct. 7.
"We believe the arts are integral to strong, resilient communities and that such resilience is increasingly important in the face of a changing climate and other global challenges," said NJAS co-directors David Kempton and Peggy Stevens in a news release. "We hope to showcase Newmarket as an arts hub – both to the province and to itself. Newmarket has a thriving collection of artists."
Paintings, photography, sculptures, mixed media and ceramics are among the mediums that will be on display by artists from across southern Ontario.
An online gala will be held Oct. 15, starting at 7 p.m. There will be cash awards announced at the gala for the different categories of artwork, as well as a Juror’s Choice award.
"Following on the great success of the First Annual Newmarket Juried Art Show in October 2019, we were very much looking forward to NJAS 2020. Then COVID-19 happened," the organizers said. "After much discussion, we decided to go for it, and have created an online version for this year."
The online version of the show included lowering the entry fee, making alternate arrangements for artists hit hard by the pandemic, and doing the jurying by Zoom.
In total, 112 pieces of work were entered by 40 artists from across Ontario, from Windsor to Reaboro, and Penetanguishene to Fonthill.
Of those, 31 pieces of artwork submitted by 28 artists — 10 of whom are from Newmarket and Aurora — were selected for the show.
Judging was based on digital images submitted by the artists, and the images were “anonymized”, organizers said.
All award money and other support was donated by local citizens and small businesses.
The Town of Newmarket partnered with them to help make the show a reality, they added.
