Manitoba Society of Artists 80th Annual Open Juried Competition and Exhibition

April 7, 2012, April 22, 2012

MSA celebrates 110 years and announces the winners of the

80th Annual Open Juried
Competition and Exhibition.

The winners of the Manitoba Society of Artists 80th Annual Open Juried Competition and Exhibition will be announced at the Official Opening Reception Saturday, April 7, 2:00 pm hosted by the Winnipeg Art Gallery.

Numerous dignitaries will be on hand for the awards ceremonies including the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba and the Minister of Culture, Heritage, Tourism and Sport. The 2012 exhibition will be composed of approximately 50 works of art by contemporary Manitoba artists, selected by a jury consisting of British Columbia-based landscape painter Robert Genn and the WAG’s own Curator of Historical Canadian Art, Andrew Kear. Works are available to purchase through the MSA.

“The longevity of an arts organization is directly proportional to the drive and creativity within it,” said Bonnie Taylor, MSA President. “Collectively, if art is the expression of our culture, then the celebration of MSA’s 110th anniversary and its 80th open juried show in the year of the WAG centenary is a strong testimonial to the artistic vibrancy of our province’s cultural story. It is my fervent wish that these selected works find favour with the interests of our Manitoba viewers, and that the pictorial writing continue to flourish long into the future. To visit the show and purchase artwork as a piece of Manitoba history, is to take home a memento of long life.”

In commemoration of the 110th anniversary of the founding of the Manitoba Society of Artists, the Winnipeg Art Gallery will host the MSA’s annual member and non-member 80th juried exhibition. The history of the WAG and the MSA, whose past members include L.L. FitzGerald, Walter J. Phillips, and Leo Mol, are intertwined. The Society was formed in 1902 by artists and art supporters in an effort to strengthen Manitoba’s budding artistic community. Many within the early MSA played an active role in publicly lobbying for a provincial art gallery, a dream that was realized in late 1912. The inaugural MSA Annual Exhibition was held in 1926. The society has since sponsored an annual exhibition nearly every year. “The WAG is pleased to host the MSA’s 2012 juried show in recognition of the society’s significant anniversary,” said Stephen Borys, WAG’s Executive Director. “The Gallery’s collection holds a number of
works by important artists and MSA members, so it is fitting that we honour the Society’s longevity and significance to the local artistic community by serving as a venue for its 110th anniversary exhibition. As the WAG approaches its centenary this fall, we are reminded of connections we share with the Society and our common aims to promote Manitoba art.”

Join us April 7th 2 – 4pm for the free public opening reception. The MSA Exhibition runs April 7 – 22.
Admission is $18 Adult; $16 Students and seniors; $40 Family and provides access to all the current WAG
exhibitions.

Visit the MSA website to learn more about the Society, its history and its members.

http://www.mbsa.ca/