Join friends, neighbors, and exhibiting artists at the BCA Center on Friday, May 19 from 5-7 pm to raise a glass to BCA's vibrant new exhibitions, "Outstanding: Contemporary Self-Taught Art," "Hyunsuk Erickson: Thingumabob Society," "Faith Ringgold: Jazz Stories," and the announcement of the 2023 Diane Gabriel Visual Artist Award winner

In the first-floor galleries, "Outstanding" examines the shifting implications of contemporary artists whose practice falls outside mainstream categories of art making. Featuring work from regional self-taught artists Larry Bissonnette, Denver Ferguson, June Gutman, Chip Haggerty, Liza Phillip, Pamela Smith, Thomas Stetson, and Kalin Thomas, Outstanding highlights artists who are reshaping today's artistic discourse as they explore unconventional paths to creative expression.

On the second floor, Hyunsuk Erickson's whimsical installation "Thingumabob Society" uses joyful mixed media sculptural forms to explore the cyclical nature of life, the waste of consumer culture, and the duality of her Korean and American identities.

In the Lorraine B. Goode room on the second floor, selections from renowned artist Faith Ringgold's series "Jazz Stories" come to BCA to complement our upcoming Jazz Lab programming. Drawing on personal and collective history Ringgold celebrates the music that has provided her with a lifetime of creative inspiration.

Established in 2021 by the family of Diane Gabriel (1947-2017), a celebrated artist and educator, the Diane Gabriel Visual Artist Award is given annually to a VT-based artist to support their creative development by encouraging experimental approaches to art making, with a special focus on artists interested in catalyzing innovative ideas and exploring new media. We'll gather at 6 pm to reveal and celebrate the winner of the 2023 award.

This event is free and open to the public. All are welcome.

Apr 27, 2024, 12 to 1:30 PM

May 2, 2024, 3:30 to 4:30 PM

May 3, 2024, 12 to 9 PM