‘Radius’ Competition Announces Selected Artists

RIDGEFIELD — Now in its ninth year, the exhibition “Radius: Emerging Artists from Connecticut and Southeastern New York” has become the cornerstone of the Radius artists’ development program, a collaboration between The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum and Ridgefield Guild of Artists (RGA).

Ten artists have been selected for the 2006 juried exhibition, following a review of 377 submissions received through an open call for entries. Their work will be on view at the RGA gallery from October 29 to November 19.

“Radius” is open to any artist resident in Connecticut, or Westchester, Putnam, or Dutchess counties in New York, who does not have commercial gallery representation in a major market. The 2006 exhibition will feature multiple works by the selected artists, who will also receive one-on-one exchanges with an Aldrich or Guild curator to review their portfolios and original work, focusing on professional development. An illustrated brochure featuring the work of each artist will accompany the exhibition.

This year’s exhibition will feature the following artists and their work:

Gail Biederman, Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y., creates installations based on mapping, using thread or yarn directly on walls, transforming the ordinary map into something new;

Amanda Burnham, New Haven, uses ink on paper to create evocative dream landscapes through the repetition of images, symbols, and icons culled from her immediate and remembered experiences;

Jaclyn Conley, New Haven, makes oil paintings of peopled spaces displaying primitive, yet enduring social conventions;

J. Henry Fair, South Salem, N.Y., examines man’s impact on the American landscape via aerial photography;

Steven Millar, Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y., uses a variety of media, from painting to sculpture, to comment on the failed utopian vision of suburbia;

Deirdre Schiffer, Branford, creates haunting oil paintings of herself sitting, standing, or working in the studio;

Erika Van Natta, Bethany, uses video to capture the nuances of experiences — AniME presents the story of three adolescent males who desire to become video game warriors, while Unsung Venus merges four female characters, real and fictional, into a modern Venus of Willendorf mutant;

Rachael A. Vaters-Carr, New Haven, depicts topographical fault lines created from Hydrocal that focus on the contrast of surface structure between landmasses forged by activity beneath the surface; and

Jason Wolfe, Suffield, CT, presents a visual diary that reflects on the individual experience of identity.

The free reception for “Radius: Emerging Artists from Connecticut and Southeastern New York” will be held the RGA gallery, 34 Halpin Lane, on Saturday, October 28, from 4 to 7 pm.