Gallery presents juried exhibition of local talent

The works of 20 professionally trained artists from the area represent a diverse array of mediums and techniques. “Their creative body of work echoes larger concerns of contemporary art and culture,” says Amy Ingrid Schlegel, the new director of galleries and collections who juried the exhibition.

“Cherry Blossoms” by Beverly Sky

An opening reception and community open house will he held on Friday, June 11, from 5 to 8:30 p.m. in the gallery in the Aidekman Arts Center. The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public. The exhibit runs through August 1.

Artists whose work is included in the show are:

Nataliya Bregel draws from video stills for her small paintings that provide commentary on the visual representation of intimacy and distance.

Deborah Davidson’s recent paintings explore the visual intersection of text and image and the formation of a personal hieroglyphics.

Gary Duehr uses cinematic resources to suspend pivotal narrative moments within the two-dimensional medium of photography.

Kathleen Finlay’s work addresses rudimentary mechanical and biological processes of creation, growth and accumulation.

“Nong Shim Neoguri, Red,” an inkjet print by Toru Nakanishi

Jehanne-Marie Gavarini uses mixed-media sculptures and digital video to suggest a dialogue between hard and soft materials, while also addressing issues of gender, sexuality and desire.

Carol Greenwood’s two-dimensional work explores the formal properties of felt as a quintessential craft material and artistic medium.

Hwae Jung’s paper, sculptures and painting represent a moment of serenity and escape from the physical world.

Surendra Lawoti uses autobiographical photographs to explore space, place and longing.

Gail Martin’s paintings begin with the creation of photographic collages of her home, which are translated into oil compositions.

Joan McCandlish uses digital photography to transform familiar plants and vegetables into cosmically suggestive forms.

Riki Moss’ abstract encaustic paintings probe the formal notion of space through the process of accumulation and removal of surface materials.

Nancy Murphy Spicer explores the boundaries between two- and three-dimensional space in the construction of site-specific installations.

Toru Nakanishi’s photographs address the iconic status of the ramen noodle in Japanese culture and as a symbol of inherent beauty in controlled chaos.

A 2003 chromogenic print by Somerville artist Surendra Lawoti

Debra Olin’s monoprints and collages from her “Rock, Paper, Scissors” series investigate alternative methods of dealing with conflict during periods of political instability.

Matthew Pearson’s documentary photographs of the Indonesian Fire Service describe a culture caught between urbanization and developmental pressures.

Made from old blank book pages, Karen Schiff’s collage objects question how meaning is derived from reading and language.

Beverly Sky’s paper and pulp paintings explore the atmospheric, seasonal auras of pastoral landscapes.

Specializing in artists’ books, M.L. Van Nice’s works are components of larger pieces and are intended to portray the same conceptual weight on a smaller scale.

Justine Waitkus’s ink drawings employ the Surrealist technique of automatic writing, and her work looks at the tension between positive and negative space.

Andrea Wenglowskyj’s photographs illustrate the absence and presence of people through their discarded or abandoned objects.

Summer hours at the gallery are Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call the gallery at 617-627-3518 or go to www.tufts.edu/as/gallery.