The USM School of Performing and Visual Arts held the opening reception for the biennial National Juried Painting Exhibition on September 4th. This year’s competition was juried by esteemed visiting artist, McArthur Binion, who delivered an insightful lecture during the opening reception that was held in the Gonzales Auditorium at the Liberal Arts Building at 5:30pm on September 4th. The exhibition was organized by Mark Risgby, the gallery director at the School of Performing and Visual Arts.
Binion, who was raised in Macon, Mississippi, is a celebrated artist who combines minimalism, identity politics, and abstraction. Based in Chicago, Illinois, Binion has paintings displayed in various museums and galleries – including Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, MA; Alfond Collection of Contemporary Art at Rollins College, Cornell Fine Arts Museum, Winter Park, FL; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA; Strauss Family Foundation Collection, Rancho Santa Fe, CA; Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY; Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, OH; Wayne State University, Detroit, MI; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY.
Binion received his BFA from Wayne State University in 1971 and completed his MFA at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1973.
As an artist, Binion is influenced by Jazz, which he utilizes as a means of integrating improvisation into his art. He also added: “I am living proof of how jazz music created art abstractionism.” He cited James Baldwin as one of the people he was influenced by.
During the reception, Binion shared a few of his paintings, explaining the meaning behind each one and his creative process for every painting. When describing his artistic style, Binion stated: “I want my work to draw you in. There’s a front layer, a middle layer and a back layer. Most people who look at art only look at the front layer but for my art I want you to go through all the layers.”
After the opening lecture, the winners of the competition were announced. The first place went to Carolyn Buseniener from Pearlington, Mississippi, for her painting titled Marsh Secrets.
Buseniener, shared her excitement for her win, stating: “I am flabbergasted. I have some similarities with the judge. I also was interested in jazz and went to school in New York City.”
When talking about her winning painting, Buseniener said: “I live on a marsh in Pearlington, Mississippi, on the bayou. In the marsh, there is a lot of Katrina debris. There are Christmas trees from over twenty years that we threw in the marsh, just to build up the marsh. So that’s why I called it Marsh Secrets.”
John Carvalho, another participant in the painting exhibition, is a third time applicant who showcased his painting, Tung Nut Blossoms and Green Briar, at the exhibition. Carvalho shares some inspiring advice for artists who wish to apply for the exhibition: “Pay attention to what you are applying to. There are some scams out there. Look into who the show is. There are a lot of reputable shows. Apply to ones that look like a good opportunity and just keep going for it.”
Binion concluded his address with a few words of wisdom for aspiring artists: “You have to want this, and you have to work harder than anyone else. You really have to want it more than anything else.”
