After attending and admiring all the talented artists at the “Taste + See” art exhibition last night, at the close of the evening, we had the opportunity to sit and chat with Paige Prater, the Marketing, Volunteer and Events Coordinator for the Frisco Art Gallery.
Lifestyle Frisco: How many years has the Taste + See event been in existence? What brought it to fruition?
Paige Prater: This is the first “Taste + See” exhibition. However, Frisco Arts has been managing the Frisco Discovery Center (including the Frisco Art Gallery) since October 2010 when it opened. Frisco Arts started hosting calls for art/art shows in May 2012. Every month we host a new exhibition and theme. Sometimes the exhibitions feature a single medium, such as photography or sculpture. The Visual Arts Guild of Frisco (VAGF), one of Frisco Arts’ beneficiary groups, typically hosts three exhibitions per year here in the Frisco Art Gallery, and the rest are organized by Frisco Arts. As the Exhibits Coordinator, I choose and administrate each exhibition, curate the submitted work (sometimes jointly with the juror), promote and market it, etc.
LF: How was Elaine Pawlowicz chosen as the juror for Taste + See? Does she have strong ties/involvement with the Frisco Art Gallery? Is she always the juror or do you rotate and select new jurors for every show?
PP: I had met Elaine Pawlowicz at a couple of show openings in Dallas (most recently the 500X Gallery‘s opening last spring), and was impressed with her knowledge of the “art world,” art-making (she’s a painter), and her friendliness and approachability. She teaches as an Assistant Professor of Drawing and Painting at UNT. Since I graduated with an MA from UNT in Art History and had UNT MFA graduate studio friends that also liked her, I thought I’d ask her to jury. She agreed, and I was thrilled! We used Dropbox for her to see all of the artists’ submissions and she gave me input on which pieces she thought should be in the show. I agreed and added a few more just for the sake of filling out the gallery space. She then made her final selection for the “Most Sensory” (Best of Show) award winner last night: Carol Ordemann. Then, she had four honorable mentions: Amber Benavides, Juju Bartush, Melissa Sederquist, and Amy Carter-Ishmael. I always select different jurors for each show. In the past, we have had Frisco Arts’ Board Members, local museum professionals, other gallery owners, and even business owners participate as jurors.
LF: What was the selection process like for the artists? When did you put out the call for submissions? How would people know about the call?
PP: I usually put out the call for submissions at least two months in advance. For “Taste + See,” I finished the poster and description in April and had the call finalized by May. I posted it online on the Frisco Discovery Center’s Frisco Art Gallery Page, Event Page, and in a rotating banner on the homepage. I also use Art News DFW as a way to blast it out to DFW artists. I also take advantage of Facebook groups, including the North Texas Printmaking Guild, McKinney Creative Community, Visual Arts Society of Texas, Visual Art League of Lewisville, The Dallas Art Scene, Denton Creatives, and Art History Society. The more we do shows, the more the word gets out.
LF: We couldn’t agree more, and we hope to be yet another source for you to promote all your upcoming events. So, what’s happening through the end of this Summer at the Frisco Art Gallery?
PP: Next month, we have two solo shows. Barbara Mason’s “International Color Intensity” in the Main Gallery, and Matt Bagley’s “Artifacts of Imagination” in the Reception Gallery. Then, September 1-28, we have “sculptechular 2013” an all-sculpture exhibition in the Frisco Art Gallery. FromSept 9-15, we have an installations/large-scale sculpture exhibition in the Special Events Center, and Sept 13-15, we have a 3 day spectacle for the public including workshops, demos, artist/vendor booths, and hopefully food trucks.
With a family-friendly vibe and approach, the Frisco Art Gallery is a peerless resource for art lovers looking to expand their knowledge of unique exhibits, trailblazing and emerging artists, and the people shaping our city as a cultural destination.