Figurative Award
Jurors: Dan Addington and Stephanie Skestos
32nd Annual National Art Competition
Beverly Arts Center, Chicago
Jeff Stevenson, of Flossmoor, is an adjunct professor of art at Governors State University who has been honored twice in recent weeks for work that’s both visually stimulating and thought-provoking. Two of Stevenson’s mixed media works received the Plaza Award at the opening reception of the 32nd Plaza Arts Competition at the Beverly Arts Center in Chicago. Stevenson’s latest body of work is a mixed-media collage combining altered books, acrylic paint, oil paint on canvas, and a wax technique. He sculpts pages from books, such as a 1950s-era World Book Encyclopedia, selecting images that take the viewer on an exploration of the human condition. His two pieces at the Plaza Arts Competition, "World Books C and D" and "The Most Interesting Thoughts," were chosen for the award by jurors Dan Addington and Stephanie Skestos, who both have Chicago galleries.
“Both pieces attempt to portray the changes that come to us as we’re bombarded with information in our modern age,” said Stevenson in a news release from Governors State. “Until just a few years ago, the World Book and other encyclopedias were treasured references; now they can be seen as historic artifacts. Information increasingly comes to us via computers and other high-tech gadgetry.” Stevenson said his art aims to explore personal and cultural issues. He said, “it also involves the human thought process n how our brains take in information, select, collect, rearrange, interpret, and then come to a conclusion.”
Another of Stevenson’s mixed-media works, "Predecessors," received the Curator’s Choice Award at last month’s 11th annual Chicago Art Open. The show, which attracted about 300 artists, was a key event during Chicago Artists’ Month, a citywide celebration of the arts. The Plaza Arts Competition features artists who live in or within 100 miles of the city of Chicago. The exhibition continues through Dec. 27 at the Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th St. in Chicago. For additional information on the exhibition, visit www.beverlyartcenter.org.
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