Winners announced in 2D/3D art show

COURTESY PHOTO Joan Sonnenberg with her winning painting Footloose The winners of the 21st Annual 2D/3D All Florida Juried Arts Exhibition at the Alliance for the Arts in Fort Myers were announced Friday, June 1.

Juror Darby Bannard, a professor of art at the University of Miami whose work is in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Whitney Museum of American Art and the Guggenheim Museum, selected the initial 42 pieces for the show by looking at digital images. He chose the winning three at the Alliance gallaries. The winners were: Best in Show Joan Sonnenberg of Naples 2nd place Carl Schwartz of Fort Myers 3rd place Bettina Edwards of Bonita Springs

Bannard called the exhibit "strong" but voiced concern that there were not more submissions of sculpture, ceramics and printmaking to balance the other media.

"As a judge I am mildly discomfited by the large number of photo/digital entries which make it into an exhibit such as this," he said. "Painting seems more "deserving", not because it is more traditional or intrinsically better but because the painter must struggle so much with his or her medium to create a convincing image while the photo/digital people get such a head start. By the same token, mastering painting provides so many more neuronal connections to the "deep" part of the artist, where art comes from when it is any good."

COURTESY PHOTO Second Place 2007 Carl Schwartz - Water Lilies and Canna The exhibition runs through July 28 at the Alliance for the Arts galleries. Nearly 250 individual works of art were submitted, and only 42 were selected for the exhibit.

The Alliance for the Arts is located at 10091 McGregor Blvd. just south of Colonial Blvd. in Fort Myers. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 to 3. Visit www.artinlee.org for more information.

COURTESY PHOTO Third Place 2007 Bettina Edwards - Got An Idea - Photography