Exhibit asks artists to 'breathe new life' into still lifes

BRIDGEPORT ‑ Flower (Re)Power, an annual open-juried competition with guest Curator Terri C. Smith will be held at the Housatonic Museum of Art June 17 through July 23.

The competition, "designed to breathe new life into the flower as an artistic symbol or subject, provides an opportunity for emerging and under-recognized artists to have their work seen by a notable curator working in the field and to exhibit their work in a significant venue," organizers said in a statement.

“Still life paintings of flowers are often predictable and decorative,” Museum Director Robbin Zella said in the statement. “Flower (Re)Power is asking artists to breathe new life into the genre.”

"Contemporary artists such as Charles Ray, Andy Warhol, Peter Coffin, Polly Apfelbaum, and Christopher Wool have managed to break free of familiar formulas and create new aesthetics and approaches to the flower.”

With about 15 years of curatorial experience, freelance Curator Terri C. Smith has created more than 70 exhibitions and a variety of related programming for museums and other not-for-profit arts institutions, the statement said.

The "shows usually involved working with contemporary artists, but also included permanent collection exhibitions and art historical projects," the statement said.

The exhibit, free and open to the public, will be on display in the Burt Chernow Galleries in Lafayette Hall at Housatonic Community College.

The opening reception will be held 5 to 7 p.m. June 17 in the galleries. For more information visit http://www.housatonicmuseum.org/.

Housatonic Community College is located at 900 Lafayette Blvd. in downtown Bridgeport.

Free parking is available in the HCC garage.

The galleries are open 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and Thursdays until 7 p.m. The museum is closed all state and national holidays.

Editor's note: The information in this post was wholly provided by HCC