"A Repetitive Journey"
by Mark M. Mellon

Featured in CAC's East Side Projects window for May 2012 at the Contemporary Arts Center.

From MellonFineArt.com: "In Mark M Mellon’s work he explores the condition of man. Of our past, present, future and the connections between harmony and the universe. His style is a mash up of surrealism, abstraction and primitive art. Merging the three into an unlikely harmony that when on display demands the audience’s attention and creates imaginative conversation."

May 3, 2012- June 16, 2012

Artist Talk and Opening Reception: Thursday, May 3rd from 6-9 pm
Gallery hours: Wednesday-Saturday: 2-7 pm Sunday: 11 am -3 pm
First Friday: Friday, May 4th from 6-10 pm

Presented at the Contemporary Arts Center of Las Vegas, Noctilucent is an installation featuring the work of Mark Rumsey, a Michigan based artist working in social situations and spacial manipulations.

Titled after a cloud-like crystal phenomenon that happens in the upper atmosphere of earth, Noctilucent seems to be a very befitting description of Mark Rumsey’s work. Using common office supplies, Rumsey manipulates a space to create a new world within an existing dimension. With the help of volunteers his work transcends that of one person, but instead becomes a part of the community, allowing the people to come together and create something larger. “Transformation is inherent to the work: transforming a physical space- how we use it, how we perceive it; transforming a common material, in this case office paper, into something uncommon- re-presenting it, changing its function.”

Rumsey is a Michigan Native, who earned a BFA in Art and Philosophy at Grand Valley State University. He pursued graduate studies at Montana State University and Ohio State University prior to completing an MFA in Printmaking at Kendall College of Art and Design. His work has been exhibited recently at Nil/Baodo Arts (Graz, Austria); Rondo Atelier (Graz, Austria); Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park (Grand Rapids, MI); The Studios of Key West (Key West,FL); Installation Nation (Indianapolis, IN); Sam Houston State University (Huntsville, TX); GarbageMan Astronaut Project Space (Portland, OR); Northwestern University (Evanston, IL); Living Arts (Tulsa, OK); ArtXchange Gallery (Seattle, WA); and Gallery Sho.dan (Montreal, Quebec).

For images or interviews, please contact Mark Rumsey at markrumsey@wordpess.com
http://www.markrumsey.com  Twitter: @MarkRumsey

In the News …

‘Noctilucent’ provokes thoughts of transformation at the Contemporary Arts Center - Mark Adams, Las Vegas Weekly

'Noctilucent' volunteers create a social installation – JK Russ, Jo Russ Art Journal

James Henninger is April's featured artist in CAC's East Side Projects window at Contemporary Arts Center.  More of his work can be seen online at 303north.blogspot.com and on James' Facebook.

"Having experimented extensively with Quills and Sepia tone, I settled some years ago on Pin and Ink as my preferred medium, as I believe they allow me to achieve the atmosphere of compressed energy and passion within my work, and allows my beautifully described figures to live and breathe on the canvas."

East Side Projects is the CAC's front window display on Charleston Blvd, available to local members who are contemporary artists working in any media.  Exhibitions last three weeks and change monthly.  Site-specific work for the space is encouraged.  Submission guidelines available at LasVegasCAC.org.

Wednesday – Saturday: 2pm to 7pm
Sunday: 11am to 3pm
Also by appointment

Preview Thursday: 2pm to 9pm
First Friday: 2pm to 10pm

The majority of our gallery is staffed by volunteers and gallery sitters are always welcome!  If you are interested in helping sustain a vibrant contemporary art scene in Las Vegas, please become a volunteer.

The CAC is located in the Arts Factory building in the 18b Arts District in Las Vegas. Free parking on the north side of the building, plus a large free lot on Casino Center Blvd and Boulder Ave.  We are near several major RTC bus stops: bus 206 (Charleston), bus 108 (Main), Strip & Downtown Express (Arts District), and Deuce on the Strip (Arts District).

Entry Deadline: April 17, 2012

Proposal Requirements:

1. Written statement outlining the proposed project/exhibition and the participating artists.
2. Work Samples: CD with 10-20 jpegs or DVD with video work or performance work. Image file size: 300 dpi no larger than 2MB.Please name file as follows: lastname.jpg(1_smith.jpg) Video format: NTSC Mac or PC playable DVD with10-minutes maximum excerpts or complete works. Please put name and email on all discs.
3. Accompanying image list indicating title, size/duration, medium, date and any brief narrative needed to elaborate on the work.
4. Artist/Curator's current CV and bio all participating artists.
5. Artist Statement for all participating artists.
6. Any additional information such as press reviews, articles, catalogs etc.
7. Self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) with sufficient postage for the return of all submitted materials.
8. Contact information for primary artist or curator contact- email, phone and mailing address.
9. Separate CD with copies of all word files, optional press materials in addition to the hard copies.

Artists:

About the Juror

Mat Gleason is a Los Angeles based art critic and curator. He is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post's Arts Section and publishes Coagula Art Journal, a pioneer hybrid of tabloid journalism and anti-academic art writing which he founded in 1992.

The Best of Show award is supported by .

Jim Stanford & Lynn Morris, Framing Studio, Inc. and Desert Art Supplies

Wells Fargo

El Cortez

ELIGIBILITY

National and international artists 16 years and older may submit a maximum of five works completed within the last two years and not exhibited in a previous CAC exhibition.

JUROR

Mat Gleason is a Los Angeles art critic, curator, commentator and writer for The Huffington Post, and publisher of Coagula Art Journal, which he founded in 1992. He recently curated 'Avant L.A.', to coincide with the Platform Art Fair, wherein the exhibition identified the 10 most compelling and important established and emerging artists living and working independently in Los Angeles.

AWARDS

Over $3,000 in awards money is available to the juror to present to artists.

ENTRY FEE

Members of the CAC may enter two pieces for $20, plus an additional $5 per piece, up to five pieces total.  Non-members may enter two pieces for $30, plus an additional $10 per piece, up to five pieces total.  Memberships start at $25 per year, and help support local arts exhibitions and non-profits programs.  Click here to become a member.

REQUIREMENTS

A) Register online

Register and pay online through our event website, then email your submissions to CACAJS2012@gmail.com with subject heading "AJS 2012".  Or you can fill out the PDF form and attach it to that email with the following information:

1. Images must be in JPG format – Maximum 2MB file size per image (suggested resolution of 300dpi)
2. Filename instructions: Last name_First name_entry#.jpg (ie. Smith_David_1.jpg)
3. Entry fee (For emailed entries, payment is only accepted by credit/debit card, either paid through the event website, or filled out in the payment section of the PDF form. For paypal, please use our paypal donation page and include a note that it's for your Juried Show entry.)

B) Register by mail or in person

Include the following information:

1. Completed entry form. (Download PDF here.)
2. Clearly labeled CD/DVD: with your first and last name_AJS2012
3. Image Format: must be in JPG format, Maximum 2MB file size (suggested resolution of 300dpi)
4. Video Format: must be Quicktime or Windows Media player ready
5. File Name instructions: Last Name_First Name__Entry Title_Entry#.jpg (ie.Smith_David_Untitled_1.jpg)
6. Entry Fee: Please include payment by check, money order, or credit/debit/paypal, or your submission will not be accepted.
7. If you wish for the return of your CD or DVD, include a SASE along with your submission.

Mail images and/or video (formatted and titled as listed above) to:

Contemporary Arts Center
AJS 2012
107 Charleston Ave, Suite 120
Las Vegas, NV, 89104

SELECTED WORKS

Selected artworks must be delivered ready to hang/display. Artworks considered unsuitable for hanging/presentation will be refused. Curatorial staff reserves the right to refuse an artwork that is misrepresented through documentation or is not the piece selected by juror.

SALES

The Contemporary Arts Center receives a 30% commission from all works of art designated for sale. Clark County sales tax is 8.1%.

SHIPPING AND INSURANCE

By submitting artwork for consideration for the 2012 Juried Show, the Artist acknowledges and accepts the following stated terms:

1. The exhibiting Artist is responsible for all applicable charges related to the preparation, packaging, insuring, and shipping/delivery of artwork to and from the gallery.
2. The Artist assumes all responsibility and holds CAC harmless for any damages incurred during shipping.
3. Artist may choose preferred art shipper.
4. Artist agrees to hold CAC harmless and waive all claims or causes of action against CAC, its officers, directors, employees, and volunteers for any and all damages, loss, or injury caused to any person or person’s personal property arising from or relating to the exhibition of Artist’s artwork at the CAC or by the Artist or persons affiliated with the Artist.

TIMELINE

February 24, 2012 - All entry forms and images must be received by Friday, February 24th, at 5pm Pacific time. Late entries will not be accepted.

March 5, 2012 - Selected artists will be notified via email of acceptance. PLEASE DO NOT CALL OR EMAIL THE GALLERY.

March 15-16, 2012 - Accepted works of art, including all shipped and hand delivered works, MUST be received at CAC by 5pm on Friday, March 16th. Late entries will not be accepted.

March 23 – April 27, 2012 - Duration of Show.

March 23 - Opening Reception and Awards Ceremony for artists and guests, 6-9pm.

April 6 - First Friday event, Downtown Arts District, 6-10pm.

April 27 - Close of Show.

April 28-29 - All hand-delivered work MUST be picked up by Saturday April 28, 12-4pm or Sunday, April 29, 12-4pm. Work left after this date will be subject to a $5 per day storage fee. All other work will be shipped by Saturday, May 5, 2012.

The Contemporary Arts Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, is a non-profit 501(c)3 art organization dedicated to presenting new, high quality, visual and performing art, while striving to build, educate, and sustain audiences for contemporary art. The CAC strives to provide a place where artists can learn about best practices, test new ideas in the public arena, and connect with fellow artists within and beyond our own community. Find more information, visit us on the web at http://www.LasVegasCAC.org

I just wanted to thank you for your presence in Las Vegas and to affirm that I believe your gallery is an asset to the community. I brought my two children in for a self-guided tour yesterday, and we left most impressed. My eight-year-old daughter, whom I am homeschooling, enjoyed the exhibits and also took great pleasure in speaking with various people in the building. The lessons learned were many, but the discussion that followed was the greatest teacher: that these people she just met, these artists, may or may not be able to make a living at their art, and that has no bearing on the end result. Artists do art out of pure love, and if you have it in you, you need to feed it, and if you don’t, part of you dies. The smell of paint, the din of music played and artists working, all of this was entirely formative. Furthermore, the John Wayne Gacy exhibit stunned me into silence. I translated his story posted at the beginning of the exhibit for my daughter so she understood who
 Gacy was, but the effect on me was indescribable. I stood and pondered how a man convicted of such heinous crimes could produce work that is so soft, so human, perhaps even childlike in its subject matter and its execution. The lesson for me was again, that I am not capable of judging people for the face that I see, and I was reminded again that the artist within reflects much of that which we cannot see from the outside. Again, I thank you.
Las Vegas Parton