Regional Exhibitions

Exciting news from the Regional Events and Activities Committee: Jeanne Scott, Jeff Walker, Bob Hartzell and Michael Gaines

A little over a  year ago I was approached by the Kirksville Arts Association regarding a solo exhibit. I don’t know how many of you have been lucky enough to visit the Kirksville Arts Center, and if you haven’t it is well worth the trip, but they have a 2,400 square foot gallery on the first floor of their building. For those of you who know me, I am a relatively prolific potter, but be that as it may I can’t fill 2,400 square feet of space all by myself. And that set me thinking . . .

The Kirksville Arts Association was looking for quality artists to exhibit in their gallery space. The Best of Missouri Hands has more than 300 Juried Artists and Juried Studios who can do just that. In May and June of last year the Best of Missouri Hands and the Kirksville Arts Association partnered to present “The Best of the Best of Missouri Hands,” a juried art exhibition at the Kirksville Arts Center. This event provided a model for our committee to work with to develop similar exhibits throughout the state, and we are still working to do just that.

I am excited to report that Best of Missouri Hands artists were featured at the Fresh Art Gallery in Springfield, Missouri from March 1-29, 2013. This exhibit was held in conjunction with our annual ArtSmart Conference and helped to promote the event. Our keynote speakers from the conference, Connie Mettler and Reed McMillan, judged the show and presented awards to some of the participating artists.

The Best at Bilderbach, an exhibition of  Best of Missouri Hands artworks, was featured in Cape Girardeau, Missouri May 3-30, 2013. Our membership is growing in the southeast region of the state, and this was a key event helping to raise awareness of BOMH.

The Hannibal Arts Council held a Best of Missouri Hands exhibit May 25-July 6, 2013 in downtown Hannibal, Missouri. This exhibit featured Best of Missouri Hands Juried Artists and Studios from the northeast region of the state, another region where BOMH is underrepresented.

We are working on our fall 2013 and 2014 exhibition schedules already. Upcoming exhibit opportunities include Blue Springs, MO in October of this year, and Kirksville, MO in May and June of 2014. We are also in negotiations with the Kemper Museum of Art for a June, 2014 exhibition in St. Joseph, MO.

Our ultimate goal is to have an approximately month-long exhibition somewhere in the state all year long. That‘s twelve different opportunities for you to exhibit your work across the state in the course of a year! If you would like more information on how to participate in these exhibits or on how to host one please contact me at jspotts@kvmo.net.

Submitted by Jeanne Scott, Chair of the Regional Events and Activities Committee