Paducah mayor’s Art Club Opening Reception set for Feb. 14 | Community Spirit

PADUCAH, KY (KFVS) - The public is invited to City Hall at 12 p.m. on Thursday, February 14 for a reception to meet the artists selected for the inaugural Mayor’s Art Club.

The first installment of artwork by artists Joan Dance and Paul Lorenz also will be on display for everyone to enjoy.

Each quarter of the calendar year, two of the eight artists will have the opportunity to display their artwork at City Hall.

“My office and reception area at City Hall are the perfect locations to display the creative works of local artists," said Mayor Gayle Kaler. "I want the Mayor’s Art Club to show everyone that Paducah truly embraces the arts and the talents of our citizens.”

In early January Mayor Kaler asked for artists who live in McCracken County to submit photos of their work with a Jan. 31 deadline for consideration. A committee consisting of Paducah School of Art Director Paul Aho, Yeiser Art Center Executive Director Josh White, and Rosemarie Steele, former marketing director of the Paducah-McCracken County Convention & Visitors Bureau, reviewed the 27 entries on Feb. 1 and narrowed the list to eight artists.

All forms of art were accepted and the eight selected artists showcase a diversity of disciplines ranging from sculptors and ceramists to photographers and painters. 

“It was wonderful to see how the community supported the Mayor’s Art Club program in its premier year," Steele said. "The entries were all winners and came from professional and non-professional artists within a wide range of ages…from students to senior citizens. With that in mind, it was difficult to narrow the 27 artists to the final eight. Each juror rated the submissions on a 4-point grading system and then chose the highest ranking pieces within the various media.”

The eight artists are as follows: 

• Joan Dance - Folk Art Painter
• Paul Lorenz - Abstract Painter/Drawer
• Lily Shapiro - Photographer
• Freda Fairchild - Printmaker
• Judeen Theis - Fiber Artist and Ceramist
• BiLan Liao - Painter
• Linda Odgen - Sculptor
• Jenny Fuller - Painter 

Dance and Lorenz will be the first two artists to showcase their work which will be on display at the Feb. 14 reception through March 29.

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