Contributing to the full spectrum of ‘Monochrome in Color’ for city museum’s annual 12 x 12 Exhibition
- Fu Bao Hartle
- 9 hours ago
- 2 min read
By Fu Bao Hartle
I am writing about the 22nd annual 12 x 12 Exhibition at the Juneau-Douglas City Museum. The theme for this year is “Monochrome in Color.” I would like people to know more about it so they can submit a piece of their work if they are interested.
I think it is a really fun community event and I have been participating in it for a number of years. I like that it brings the community together and everyone is welcome to submit their artwork. Each piece submitted needs to be 12 by 12 inches and if it is 3D that also has to be 12 inches. The piece can be any medium.
The exhibition dates are March 6 to April 18. Entry forms are due Feb. 14. There is a fee of $12.12 to submit a piece. I wanted to know more about the 12 x 12 exhibit at the City Museum so I asked Elissa questions about it. Here are my questions and her responses:
Q: Who first thought of the 12 x 12 community exhibit?
A: Ellen Carlee first thought of the exhibit.
Q: When did it start?
A: It started in 2005
Q: Why did the museum start this?
A: The original idea for the 12 X 12 exhibit was inspired by “an inch of art” program at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The former curator of collections and exhibits, Ellen Carrlee, heard about the program and it was adapted it to create the 12x12 exhibition. From 2005 to 2010 the 12x12 was an opportunity for local seasoned artists to create a temporary, original artwork directly on the gallery wall of the museum. Artists could work in any media and had a set time during the month to create their piece. The gallery space was open to the public to observe the development of the project throughout the month, and the installation culminated with a closing reception at the end of the month.
Q: How did it become an annual community exhibit?
A: In 2011, the museum decided to add a theme to the 12x12 and to invite community members to submit 12x12 artwork that would hang next to more seasoned artists. This exhibit was created to encourage all levels of creative expression and community participation. Everyone was invited and welcomed to create pieces for the show and each year a new theme was chosen.
Q: How do you choose the theme for each year?
A: We take suggestions from the community each year and then choose one. We try to choose a theme that can be interpreted in multiple ways.
If you are interested and would like more information about this, here is a link: https://juneau.org/library/museum/exhibit-opportunities
• Fu Bao Hartle is a Juneau Special Olympics athlete and advocate, and a commercial photographer.
