Margit Burmeister was awarded the “Best in Show” for the mixed media painting 1973 #6 in this year’s Members’ Show. Second place was awarded to Didi Suydam for Providence in patinated brass and third place went to Tom Lotas for George Washington’s Ghost in acrylic on cardboard. The Members’ Show is an inspiring exhibition of the local creative community with 139 works of art on display this year by the members of the Jamestown Arts Center.
Honorable Mentions were awarded to six artists each working in a different medium: Nina Gozzi, Plant Me After Reading, in recycled materials; Molly Dickinson, Rock No. 1 (Primal Places), oil on board; Christopher T. Terry, Delphic Disco, oil on canvas; Paul Housberg, Lonely Lighthouse, in watercolor; Meagan Hepp, FIRE | Ignis, ceramic and mixed media; and Kristie Gardiner, Colors of Gooseneck Cove, hand painted digital photo.
Conor Monynihan served as the judge of this year’s Members’ Show. Moynihan is the Associate Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs at the RISD Museum.
Moynihan states, “As a curator, it’s always an honor to be invited to review and comment on art, especially that made in Rhode Island. Making selections for this exhibition was challenging—I was blown away by the breadth and depth of the submissions that just underscore the creativity of the Jamestown Arts Center community.”
Karen Conway, Exhibition Director of the Jamestown Arts Center, adds: “There is a record breaking 139 artists participating in this year’s Members’ Show! It’s always incredible to see this show come together and this year is no exception. The creativity and passion of our talented community is on full display!”
Best-in-Show winner Margit Burmeister works in paper and wood to create abstract, non-objective paintings. The Wakefield artist incorporates elements of historical typography and found pieces in her work, inviting the viewer in—layer by layer. For winning Best-in-Show this year, Burmeister is awarded a solo exhibition in the Jamestown Arts Center’s small gallery during the 2025 Members’ Show.
In conjunction with the Members’ Show, Josy Wright, the winner of the 2023 Best-in-Show award, opened a solo-exhibition in the small gallery, PRINTS: NATURALLY INSPIRED. Josy Wright is a painter and printmaker and an active member of the creative community in Jamestown, where she lives with her husband Harry with their children and grandchildren nearby.
The Members’ Show and Josy Wright Prints: Naturally Inspired are on view during regular gallery hours from November 23 through January 4, 2025 (Wednesday–Saturday, 11 am–3 pm).
Exhibitions at the JAC are free and open to all. Many of the works in the Members’ Show are available for purchase in the gallery and at the Jamestown Arts Center’s website with proceeds benefiting the individual artists and the JAC.
