Frances Roddy Competition Opens at Art Association

The Concord Art Association hosted a reception on Sunday, Sept. 19 for the 11th annual Frances N. Roddy Open Competition. The competition is open to both members and non-members and will run through Oct. 17, 2010.

The Concord Art Association has approximately 700 members and displays art in its headquarters on Lexington Road.

Victoria Munroe, a contemporary art gallery owner in Boston and juror for the competition, narrowed the 522 entries down to 95.  The competition bestows prestige upon its participants and inspires many artists to enter the contest in hopes of gaining recognition for their work. 

When awarding the eight prizes that were given out for $375 each, Munroe pointed out that "everyone in the show is a winner."

Gibbs Roddy, Frances Roddy's son, spoke to the artists regarding his mother's love of art. 

"My mother would have loved this show because there is such a large variety of media here. She loved color and the colors are fantastic," he said.  

The high quality of the art selections included photography, pastels, paintings and sculpture. The competition is displayed in the newly renovated interior of the Concord Art Association and the artwork is for sale at prices that are reasonable.

Laurie Diercks, on the Advisory Board and Capital Campaign for the Association, noted that the campaign raised awareness and brought in hundreds of people as well as over one million dollars in contributions. More people now know it is, "a little gem," she said.

Every artist has an inspiration no matter what type of media it is. Brenda Van der Beek's, 'In October', incorporates architecture into her work. She "lives between two cultures" and she thinks this is why a sense of place is important in her work.  Winning one of the awards bestowed among the 95 finalists, she has found a place for her work.

As artist B. Glee Lucas, (La Terrasse), noted, "It's not as if you're a brand new artist when you are chosen to compete in this show."  This is the second year she was chosen to compete in the finals of the competition. Her inspiration came on a trip to Australia.

"Once you hold a glass up to a landscape, you never get over it," she said.

Sara Demrow Dent, (Follow: Journaled Landscape Series II), from West Newbury, has been an artist for 13 years.  She was in a graduate program at Christie's that changed the way she saw colors and art. 

Inspired by her mother and her love of birds, Sarah's work incorporates both birds and poetry. She will be featured in an upcoming show at Association.

Susan Sanford, (Taos Overlook), is an artist from Newburyport. She was a high school art teacher for 25 years.  It took a bit of adjustment for her to get used to being an artist full time and her new and more flexible schedule, she said.

"It's a part of me now," she said. 

Her friend, Janet MacLeod from Newburyport (October Beach), mentioned that this was her third time entering the contest.  This was her lucky one as she was selected to be in the final competition. When asked about her workspace and being an artist, she echoed the sentiment felt by other artists whose work was on display.

"I've got everything," MacLeod said.