The juror for the 42nd annual USI Juried Student Art Exhibition, to be held April 1-29, is John Begley, a Louisville artist, curator, and gallery director, and founding director of the New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art.
Begley selected 181 works of art created in the past year from over 425 works submitted by USI students for inclusion in the show. He currently heads the University of Louisville’s Hite Art Institute galleries and leads its Critical and Curatorial Studies program.
The opening reception for the 42nd annual Juried Student Art Exhibition will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 1, at the McCutchan Art Center/Pace Galleries, with the awards ceremony at 3 p.m.
Over $7800 in merit awards, scholarships, and purchase awards, generously donated by area business and individuals, will be announced at that time. The public is welcome to attend the reception and view the exhibition.
The McCutchan Art Center/ Pace Galleries, located in the lower level of the Liberal Arts Center, is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Begley juried the exhibit on March 21, and presented a lecture that evening titled, “Seeing Influence: Stephen Pace and Anne Cooper Dobbins,” in Kleymeyer Hall in the lower level of the Liberal Arts Center.
His talk was based on a recent exhibit of artwork by Stephen Pace from the USI Art Collection, and the work of Anne Cooper Dobbins, Begley’s student, that he curated at the Hite Institute. He also made remarks about his selections for this year’s exhibit at that time.
Begley holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of New Mexico and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Indiana University. He served as director of the Louisville Visual Art Association for 18 years.
The recipient of the Louis Comfort Tiffany and Getty Museum Management Institute Fellowships, Begley oversaw the growth of the Louisville Visual Art Association to a multi-function exhibition, education, and advocacy art center. He also has been an active advocate for the visual arts in Louisville, the state of Kentucky, and the region.
He has produced hundreds of exhibitions, including shows that have toured the American Midwest and South, Scotland, Germany, France, and Taiwan.
Begley also maintains an active studio practice in drawing, printmaking, book arts, installation, and intermedia combinations that examine the nature of seeing, making, and thinking about the world of art.
