Fifty-seven artists have been selected for the juried exhibition at the Joshua Tree National Park Art Exposition 2019 in September in Twentynine Palms, CA. 

On Saturday, July 20, a panel of five jurors met and juried 347 artwork images submitted by 137 artists from across California, the U.S., and Canada. After nearly seven hours of deliberation, the jury selected 57 artists and art pieces for this year’s show, featuring artwork depicting or inspired by Joshua Tree National Park or its cultural history. Artwork categories this year were 2-Dimensional, 3-Dimensional, and Photography. The exhibition will be on display at 29 Palms Art Gallery for the month of September.

Joshua Tree artists include Benjamin Allanoff, Marcia Geiger, Louis Hernandez, Alane Levinsohn, and photographers Matt Collins, Doug Dolde, David McChesney, Mitch Miller, Kevin Powell, and Jim Smart.

Yucca Valley artists are Janis Commentz, Laurie Schafer, Esther Shaw, Travis Usher, Nichole Vikdal, and photographer Tami Roleff.

Twentynine Palms is represented by artists Whitney Gardner, Elisabeth Pollnow, Mark Spicak, and Timothy Warren. And photographer Bill Leigh Brewer was selected from Morongo Valley.

Coachella Valley artists selected for the exhibition are Larry Hemmerich and David A. Lee of Palm Springs; B.E. Baxter and Marilyn Froggatt of Palm Desert; De Karlan and Robin Raznick of La Quinta; Elaine Mathews and Ehrick Wright of Rancho Mirage; Dean Mayo of Indio; and Robert Miramontes and Arlene Winfrey of Desert Hot Springs.

Other California artists include Juliette Vos of Camarillo; Valerie Birkhoff and Sylviane Gaumer Giacoletto of Grass Valley; Donna Elliot of Idylwild; Karchi Perlman and Chris Turnham of Los Angeles; Lisa Liang of Millbrae; Juniper Harrower of Oakland; Emily Nunez and Sicong Sui of Pasadena; Mark Robben of Rancho Palos Verdes; Vicki Pedersen of Riverside; Kay Kaplan of San Diego; Brandon Baron of San Francisco; Kathleen Strukoff of San Juan Capistrano; Jeff Skelly of Sunland; Terry Houseworth of Tustin; and Rick Strobaugh of Yucaipa.

From up north, Canadian artist David Flatt was selected from Vancouver, British Columbia; and Bert Mattingly will be participating from Anchorage, Alaska.

Other out-of-state artists included Benjamin Calvert of Villa Park, Illinois; William Casolara of Sheridan, Montana; Michael McKay of Bozeman, Montana; Alexandra Taggart of Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Jenny Baham of Las Vegas, Nevada.

One piece of art from each of the 57 artists will be displayed in the juried exhibition at the historic 29 Palms Art Gallery from September 1 to 29. The public is invited to a gala awards reception at 29 Palms Art Gallery on Saturday, Sept. 14, from 5 to 8 p.m. Tickets are $5, available at the door.

The Art Exposition weekend celebration will take place Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 14 & 15, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days, with an Art Market, artist booths, music, food and beverages on the lawn at 29 Palms Inn; art demonstrations and the exhibition at 29 Palms Art Gallery; art projects at 29 Palms Creative Center; ranger talks at the park’s Oasis Visitor Center; and exhibits at the Old Schoolhouse Museum. Admission is free.

Jurors for this year’s juried exhibition were: Mark Spangenberg of Twentynine Palms, fine artist, contemporary realist, and art instructor; Lori Rennie of Benchmark Studios in Joshua Tree, graphic designer and art collector; Gary S. Colby, photographer and Professor of Photography Emeritus, University of Laverne; Sarah Scheideman, arts administrator, producer for Scene Creative LLC, and former Executive Director of The Coachella Valley Art Scene (CVAS); and Ed Keesling of Yucca Valley, ceramic artist, art instructor, and President of 29 Palms Art Gallery.

The annual Joshua Tree National Park Art Exposition is presented by Joshua Tree National Park Council for the Arts, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, in partnership with 29 Palms Art Gallery and 29 Palms Inn. For more information about the event, visit www.jtnpARTS.org.