MCAC Juried Art Show winners

"Big Night Out" by Mark Kolessar of Freehold

More than 400 entries from a broad spectrum of local, regional and national artists were received for the 28th Annual Monmouth County Arts Council (MCAC) Juried Art Show & Sale.

Ninety-one works in a variety of mediums including paintings, works on paper, 3-D works, mixed-media and photography, were culled from the entries by juror Bruce Waldman, a printmaker and illustrator.

The 2007 juried art exhibition is on display through March 4 at the Monmouth Museum, on the Brookdale Community College campus in Lincroft.

During an opening reception Jan. 27, $250 awards were presented to five artists, and eight artists were recognized with honorable mentions.

Karen Starrett Belfer, of Ocean Township, received an award for her mixed-media piece "Remission Depression." Belfer is a mixed-media artist and painter, certified art teacher, graphic designer, art director and community volunteer.

Kenneth R. Burde, of Belleville, received an award for his acrylic painting "Downscape 41 - Bad Landing on the Island." Burde's downscapes are geographic relief studies based on satellite images of American cities and rural areas.

"Libre Sofa/Standard Chair" by Ann Marie Fitzsimmons of Freehold

Ann Marie Fitzsimmons, of Freehold, received an award for her acrylic painting "Libre Sofa/Standard Chair." She has painted images of chairs in a variety of settings for the past quarter-century, juxtaposing background details to create a two-dimensional flow to her paintings.

Stephen A. Fredericks of New York City won an award for his soft ground etching "Black Bird Fossil." Printmaker Fredericks' winning entry is one of an extended series of plates that explore his relationship to mortality and the afterlife.

Mark Kolessar, of Freehold, received an award for his collage "Big Night Out." A self-taught airbrush artist, Kolessar teaches art to children and explains that his work challenges assumptions about glamour and society's obsession with superficiality and beauty.

In addition, honorable mentions were awarded to: Peter Cohen, Toms River, for his photograph "BB64-One"; Anthony Migliaccio, Long Branch, for his oil painting "Quiet Time at the Beach"; Arlene Mollow, Ocean Township, for her charcoal drawing "Roots"; Winfrey Odhner, New York City, for her etching "From Hansel & Gretel"; Ponce Rogers, Lakewood, for his mixed media piece "Inside the Globe"; Jahee Sargent, New York City, for his etching "People - 1"; and Mary Teichman, Greenfield, Mass., for her etching "Full Moon."

Gallery hours are Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sundays 1-5 p.m. Admission is $6; free for members and children under 2. Contact the museum at (732) 747-2266, or the arts council at (732) 212-1890, or visit www.monmouthartscouncil. org.