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Date: 1/18/2022
AMHERST – In a callout to artists in the Pioneer Valley, the Burnett Gallery of the Jones Library is seeking applicants to exhibit their work in the upcoming season of monthly virtual art shows.
Applicants and their work will be selected by the Burnett Gallery Committee, a group of eight composed of local artists and art supporters who review the applications annually and go through the process of jurying the applicants and their projects for the exhibits. Applications are due by Feb. 28 at 5 p.m. with the virtual monthly shows beginning June of this year and running until May 2023.
Kathy Lanza, a member of the Burnett Gallery Committee, expressed excitement in the opportunity to bring a new option for local artists in getting their work out in a virtual way.
“People can, with the skill of their photographic ability, highlight their work and bring it very close to people, just as close as your phone, your laptop, your iPad, and that art will be archived for the rest of the foreseeable future,” Lanza said.
Lanza added this was a great opportunity and also included perks of being less expensive and being physically much easier than a normal show in the past due to the virtual nature of the exhibit. She also credited the library’s Head of Information Services Matt Berube with working with the committee “heroically” in helping accomplish the online presences of this exhibit.
Berube remembers the Burnett Gallery Committee approaching the Jones earlier in the pandemic to see if virtual exhibits would be possible.
“They rightly didn’t want to disappear from the public eye while we were closed,” Berube said. “We were immediately receptive to the idea. We then allotted more time for our website team to create the exhibits and puzzled out how best to display the images so they can be viewed easily on differently-sized screens.”
While Berube said they are still fine tuning that last part, he thinks the virtual exhibits are likely reaching a somewhat different audience than the in-person gallery typically would. So much so that he believes there is an argument to be made in favor of keeping the virtual exhibits even after they have reopened the physical gallery.
A virtual exhibit comes not only at a good time due to the pandemic, but also because of the Jones Library renovation project. Library Director Sharon Sharry said the Burnett Art Gallery will be transformed entirely during the renovation project. While design development is yet to begin for that specific area of the renovation project, Sharry says it will be given the prominence it deserves due to how important the gallery is to the Jones Library service.
“Whether it’s pre-COVID, during COVID, or post-COVID, I have trouble putting into words how important public art is, and when it can be offered for free, the entire community benefits,” Sharry said. “Art, just like books, is essential to the development of children, families, teens, and adults. Public art affects how the community gathers together. It encourages and allows for stories to be told, and feelings to be felt.”
Interested local artists, whether individuals, pairs or groups are encouraged to apply online at www.joneslibrary.org/galleryapplication. Jurying for selected artists will take place in March.