November 9 – December 21, 2024
Artist Talks & Opening Reception: Saturday, November 9, 6:00 – 8:30pm (Pre-register here)
Join us for an evening of artist talks, music, and refreshments on Saturday, November 9, 6-8:30 PM. Registration is required.
Main Line Art Center is proud to present Echoes: The 21st Annual Betsy Meyer Memorial Exhibition, featuring the work of Salvatore Annunziato, Korissa Frooman, and Barbara Straussberg. The exhibition, juried by Constance McBride, is on view from November 9 through December 21, 2024.
In Echoes, this year’s featured artists delve into texture and materiality through both highly experimental and traditional, labor-intensive techniques across a diverse range of media. Inspired by echoes of the past, their work engages with the present while envisioning the future. Some of the artworks demand deeper scrutiny to fully grasp the message the artist intends to convey, while others celebrate the sheer craftsmanship involved – where mastery of materials and process merit equal attention and recognition. The result is an invigorating exhibition that delves into the profound influence that our past experiences have on shaping our lives.
This exhibition is made possible through the generous support of the Meyer family.
The Meyer Family Award for Contemporary Art, presented by Main Line Art Center in conjunction with the Betsy Meyer Memorial Exhibition, honors chosen artists with an exhibition in the Center’s gallery and an award of $1,000. This award and associated exhibition program is an effort to support talented contemporary artists, to honor deserving artists in the field, and to encourage excellence and experimentation in artistic practice, presentation, and community involvement.
Salvatore Annunziato is a ceramic artist based in Central PA. His work in clay has been shown internationally, and his experience building and firing kilns has created unique opportunities to define his craft. As wood kiln director and teacher at the Lancaster Creative Factory, Annunziato invites conversation and creativity to arise through experimental approaches and a fundamental dedication. He holds a BFA in Ceramics from Marlboro College and over a decade of experience working with fire.
Korissa Frooman is a Brooklyn based anti-disciplinary artist whose work oscillates between mediums. In 2022, Frooman graduated from Parsons School of Design with a BFA in Fashion Design. Throughout her time there, Frooman focused on conceptual collections merging the body into sculpture and the everyday. Her work today is heavily influenced by her background in fashion design, incorporating textiles and pattern making techniques. Curating objects as an extension of oneself, Frooman introduces the souls of lives adjacent through touch.
Barbara Straussberg is an abstract painter and paper artist working in Philadelphia. Her process is material based and explores the intersection of ancient paper art with contemporary abstract painting. Her studio practice encompasses painting, drawing, printmaking, paper sculpture and collage. Energized by a lively dialogue between art forms and mediums, her work embraces both a deep respect for traditional art techniques and an experimental approach to art making. Straussberg received a Bachelor of Arts degree with Distinction in Art History from the University of Pennsylvania, and Certificate from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
Constance McBride has been active as an artist, writer, curator and educator for over 16 years. In her work as an artist, she examines gender-based issues with ceramic sculpture and installations. She has had solo exhibitions at Abington Art Center (PA), Rehoboth Art League (DE), Phoenix Institute of Contemporary Art (AZ), Shemer Art Center (AZ), Estrella Mountain Community College (AZ), Royse Contemporary Gallery (AZ) and Eye Lounge Contemporary (AZ). Her work has appeared in group shows at notable museums and galleries throughout the USA including at Phoenix Art Museum (AZ), The Delaware Contemporary (DE), Woodmere Art Museum (PA), The Clay Studio (PA) San Angelo Museum of Fine Art (TX), Las Cruces Museum of Art (NM), Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport Museum (AZ) and Archie Bray Foundation for Ceramic Arts (MT).
She has curated exhibitions for The Art Trust Gallery in West Chester, the Chester County Art Association, and for several galleries in downtown Phoenix. McBride has juried art for the Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show, the annual Congressional Art Competition, PA District 2, The Cheltenham Center for the Arts, and for several organizations in Arizona.
Recent awards include the Jacques MacCuiston Dowling Award for sculpture (Woodmere Art Museum), a Center for Emerging Visual Artists Teaching Fellowship in Philadelphia, PA, a position in the 2021 Chautauqua Visual Arts Residency Program in Chautauqua, New York and grants from The Puffin Foundation and Philadelphia Sculptors.
McBride’s work has received attention from several publications including Yahoo News (Cities Rising Series), Philly Artblog and Phoenix Magazine. As an arts writer, she has written for the online publications Chadds Ford Live and The Arts Beacon. Currently based in West Grove, PA, she teaches sculpture and hand building in Chester County and Philadelphia and is a guest host of the show Art Watch at WCHE Radio Station in West Chester. McBride earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Arcadia University, Glenside, PA.