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About the Confluence of Art Annual

Juried Annual Exhibit Featuring Recent Works from Regional and National Artists

Confluence of Art Annual Exhibition: Homecoming resides in each fall in the James W Hansen Gallery at Pablo Center at the Confluence. Regional and national artists submit their work for review for display in the exhibit with over 50 works crossing different media, techniques, and motifs selected for display in the exhibit each year.

Year after year, the volume and quality of works submitted continue to grow and is a testament that arts scene in the Chippewa Valley and beyond is thriving, alive, and well. We welcome guests and artists alike to participate in the exhibit and share in artistic excellence of our region.

CALL TO ARTISTS

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 10 AM ON JUNE 15, 2023

Interested in being a part of this year's juried art exhibit, Confluence of Art Annual?

We are seeking recent, original works by artists of all visual mediums. Up to three works may be submitted per artist.
See full registration rules and eligibility below. 


The following awards are selected by the juror:

Best of Show: $500     First Place: $250     Second Place: $150     Third Place: $100

REGISTRATION FORM

Click to pay the registration fee:

REGISTRATION FEE

Meet the Juror - Mary Bergs

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See Mary Bergs' work on her website.

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Taxonomy of Form by Mary Bergs

Mary Bergs is a visual artist who works in 2D and 3D media, she uses found and made materials to create work that cultivates careful examination and appreciation of the beauty found in everyday experience. Bergs completed her BFA degree in 1999 at the University of Minnesota.  She also has degrees in psychology and social work. Bergs has shown her work in solo and group exhibitions throughout the Midwest, including the Minnesota Museum of American Art, Dubuque Museum of Art, Madison Central Library, and many colleges and Universities. In addition to her studio practice, Bergs was the curator at Gallery 71 in Edina, MN and has been an artist consultant to several healthcare organizations. Bergs has had artist residencies at Jentel, Vermont Studio Center, and Kimmel Harding Nelson Art Center; and Jerome Foundation-funded residencies at Lanesboro Art Center and Tofte Lake Center. She has been the recipient of a MN State Arts Board Grants and Jerome Foundation Travel Study Grant. Bergs has taught in a variety of educational settings and worked with community groups using art as a means of creating conversation and partnerships. Bergs was a resident of Minneapolis for many years and currently lives with her husband at the edge of the village in Benton, WI. 

Mary Bergs orchestrates the viewing of her work through an ordered combination of contrasts. Bergs’ formal approach employs the basic elements of art; line, form, color, color, texture, and arrangement to prompt comparisons of the objects she presents.  Bergs builds a dialogue of shape, color, number, and function to engage the viewer in a conversation of things. Her presentation of the unexpected nurtures a sense of reverence, awareness, and an appreciation of the beauty found in the ordinary.

Artist Statement

I create collaged “situations” in 2D and 3D forms, typically presented as large installations. My work represents a process of exploring ideas through the manipulation and exploration of materials, images, and objects. Through fragmentation, repetition, and arrangement I create associations between the individual components of the installations. I find the place where a connection, a discordant harmony is formed between these seemingly unrelated objects. I am interested in creating situations that open up the opportunity for imagining other possible compositions and arrangements. In my studio practice, there is a constant migration of ideas, images, and objects from one piece to another. The work is often installed in a manner that suggests it can be moved, or rearranged. The collaged situations represent a sort of visual alphabet that has landed in one of many possible configurations. I am not creating discrete works, but rather a series of associations. The compositions are a structure for shaping and integrating experience, for engaging in a way of thinking and considering how our subjective experience is molded through our interaction with images, objects, and materials. I endeavor to create work that sensitizes us to our surroundings and the objects, images, and structures that give shape to our experience.


Explore Previous Exhibitions

Each juror, artist, and year brings new experiences and perspectives to the Confluence of Art Annual. Explore our previous exhibits to view the history of the Confluence of Art Annual at the confluence.