Butler Midyear art show opens Sunday

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The 79th annual National Midyear Exhibition opens Sunday at the Butler Institute of American Art and runs through Aug. 30.

The show features works by artists from throughout the country working in two-dimensional media: paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, digital works and drawings.

The winners will be revealed in a ceremony on July 19.

The 2015 Midyear marks nearly eight decades of uninterrupted presentation of this annual juried show. It was judged by Robert Godfrey, an artist and art historian who lives and works in New York City.

A total of 240 artists submitted 794 works for the judge’s consideration.

Godfrey selected 95 works by 85 artists for the show.

The states represented in this year’s exhibition are; Arizona (1), California (3), Connecticut (1), Illinois (2), Indiana (1), Massachusetts (6), Michigan (3), North Carolina (1), New Jersey (4), New York (7), Ohio (47), Pennsylvania (17), Texas (1) and Virginia (2).

Regional artists included in the show are: Ron Mistovich and Carole Conaster (Boardman); Jeff Olsavsky (Lowellville); Rabecca Signoriello (New Castle, Pa.); Cori Surano (Hermitage, Pa.); Louis Spadanuta (Sharon); Thomas McNickle (Volant, Pa.) William Danielson, Liz Bulkley-Testa, Jeff Piper Ronald Jason Van Hoose, Stephen Ifft, and George Kovach (Youngstown).

Cash awards were given to 17 artists.

Twelve of the awards were honorable mentions, and a first, second and third prize were given. An annual prize named for the late Phil Desind is given each year to a highly realistic work.

An annual award, sponsored by the Allied Artists of America, was also given.