The talent of artists from throughout Navajo and Apache counties was evident in this fall’s Locally Grown juried art exhibition at the Talon Gallery at Northland Pioneer College (NPC). Artists Rebeccah Sweet of Linden, Matt Speakman of Snowflake, and Chris Lambert of Show Low captured first-- second, and third-place cash awards for their winning entries during a closing reception held Friday, December 1, 2023.
The exhibition ran from October 30, through December 1, and was juried by Meghan Sullivan, a three-dimensional artist who primarily works with the human form in ceramics. This past summer Sullivan spent several months in the White Mountains working with other professional artists during a retreat hosted at NPC. She is an Assistant Art Professor at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. Sullivan said, “I was impressed by the variety of media being explored by this community.” She explained, “There were a few themes that appeared in the entries; the natural world, humor, and the exploration of craft.” She said that having recently visited the area herself, “the importance of nature makes sense. The artworks that explore the natural world reflect the variety and diversity of the landscape all around you.” She continued,
“Several of the works use humor as an entry point to larger questions, such as relationship dynamics and the juxtaposition of manufactured objects with the natural world. While the works may appear lighthearted, they contain levels of complexity that I enjoyed.”
The show’s first-place award went to Linden resident Rebeccah Sweet for her photograph titled “Teatime.” An avid collector of vintage teaware, Sweet’s passion for tea led to the setting for the photo. “I had my husband drive around looking for a good place for a “spot of tea” and found the perfect location. The lighting was just right for a quiet sunset tea party in the woods.” Sweet enjoys photographing the area with her husband and shot the photo with her IPhone.
Second-place awardee, Matt Speakman’s acrylic painting “Cattle Ln,” developed from both a place and a moment in time. The painting is a snapshot of the view from the road his mother lives on, a place he and his family visit regularly. “It’s classic grandma’s house,” he said. “Cattle Ln is more of a moment than a location, one of those still, grey moments that can only come when you are completely suspended in the liminality of dusk. It's a moment of awe as you breathe in your surroundings. It's a moment of refuge from a loud and fast existence. It's a moment that embodies the quiet peace of rural living.” Speakman has been painting with acrylics for about ten years and lives in Snowflake. Originally from Mesa, he said the painting embodies his adjustment to rural life.
For third-place winner Chris Lambert, his wooden sculpture “A Balanced Note,” developed out of his hobby of woodworking. “The idea was to cut it at just the right angle so that a bottle of wine would balance on it,” he said. “Woodworking creates a sense of balance for me.” The sculpture was built using the progressive use of the Fibonacci Sequence. Lambert said that by working with angles and the mathematical “golden ratio” the piece is designed to balance itself perfectly. He explained, “Each wooden piece is exactly a quarter-inch longer than the last, and is exactly one degree off.”
Locally Grown is an exhibition of art in any media. Drawings, paintings, pottery, sculptures, quilts, jewelry, or any other original or unique artwork including functional items may be submitted. For additional information about the Locally Grown exhibit or the Talon Gallery and upcoming shows, contact Gallery Director Magda Gluszek, at 532-6176, (800) 266-7845, ext. 6176, or email magda.gluszek@npc.edu.
