Get on the list to receive the season-documenting hardcover anthology, the Manifest Exhibition Annual (MEA s16).

Download to save or print the entire season 16 calendar here.

Submit work to open projects here.

Find your way to the gallery, (map) here.

Preview Reception: Thursday, November 7, 7-9pm
Public Opening: Friday, November 8, 6-9pm

main gallery + drawing room

TRANSCENDENCE
Beyond the Ordinary

tran·scend
/tran(t)ˈsend/ verb: be or go beyond the range or limits of (something abstract, typically a conceptual field or division).
surpass (a person or achievement). synonyms: go beyond, rise above, cut across

tran·scend·ence
/tran(t)ˈsendəns/ noun: existence or experience beyond the normal or physical level. synonyms: superiority, supremacy, predominance, preeminence, ascendancy; incomparability, matchlessness, peerlessness; excellence, greatness, magnificence, sublimity, importance

Something many artists strive for in their work throughout their careers—a going beyond ordinary. But what about work that addresses the idea of Transcendence as a subject, rather than an aspect of the ambition, dedication, and rigor of the artist themselves? How does visual art represent, either through subject, form, or content, a notion which, in some form or another, underlies much of human introspection and civilized activity since our earliest days as a species?

Manifest invited artists from around the world to submit works for consideration which in some way address the theme of Transcendence.

For this exhibit 83 artists submitted 292 works from 29 states, Washington D.C., and 8 countries, including Canada, Denmark, England, Puerto Rico, Russia, Singapore, Ukraine, and the United States. Twenty works by the following 13 artists from 8 states, Canada, and Denmark were selected by a blind jury process for presentation in the gallery and the Manifest Exhibition Annual publication.

Presenting works by:

Helmut Amann
New York, New York

Cameran Ashraf
Claremont, California

Camilla Augustinus
Snekkersten, Denmark

Kevin Dotson
Carbondale, Illinois

Richard Ferncase
Corona del Mar, California

Hannah K. Freeman
Morgantown, West Virginia

Eric Heffington
Cincinnati, Ohio

Pamela Martinez
Atlanta, Georgia

Clive Moloney
Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts

Laura Noel
Atlanta, Georgia

Holly Pennington
Lakeport, Michigan

Snail Scott
Edwardsville, Illinois

Jennifer Wilson
London, Canada

     Laura Noel

     Jennifer Wilson

     Eric Heffington

parallel space

LIGHT
Illumination, Exposure, and Brightness

“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” ― Plato

We open our eyes to it, are born into it. So much relies on what it reveals and gives. From vision of the world around us to messages sent through fiber optics, from starlight to the sunlight without which life on Earth would not be possible, light is life, awareness, and information.

We invited artists around the world to submit works for consideration which in some way address the theme of Light.

For this exhibit 63 artists submitted 213 works from 27 states and 4 countries, Canada, England, Germany, Russia, and the United States for consideration. Nine works by these 6 artists from 5 states were selected by a blind jury process for presentation in the gallery and the Manifest Exhibition Annual publication.

Presenting works by:

Cecile Baird
Hillsboro, Ohio

Jenn Gulgren
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Heather Hartman
Knoxville, Tennessee

Joseph Holsapple
Thibodaux, Louisiana

Maddie Miller
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Erin Schaefer
Cincinnati, Ohio

     Erin Schaefer

     Maddie Miller

central gallery

UMBRA
Scanning Electron Micrographs by Jess Holz

Jess Holz (b. 1985) creates artworks which give the viewer a peek into invisible worlds, as well as a chance to reflect on the influence of scientific visual culture on our collective imagination. She has just received her MFA in Art+Technology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; previously she has worked in several labs and imaging facilities, gaining valuable technical experience with a number of microscopic imaging techniques. The discrepancy between what can be perceived by eye and what is imaged has fostered her fascination with perceptual systems along with the optical properties of materials. Jess actively exploits this in photography and installation.

Of her work the artist states:

"The wilderness has long symbolized unknown beasts and dangers, but it has also been a therapeutic place, a place to meet God. As a landscape, my work encapsulates the awe and terror associated with the sublime of the Romantic tradition—however, the sublime is associated with vast, expansive spaces.  My work asks the question, what of the ‘tiny sublime’?

This body of work is titled Umbra, after the darkest part of a shadow, since the worlds that I am imaging are not illuminated by light. These alien landscapes are, in fact, microsculptures incorporating insect and plant fragments, imaged by scanning electron microscopy.  Lit with electricity instead of light, the sculptures present as post-apocalyptic wilderness, with radiant glowing forms and seemingly unstable dark areas, all rendered in excruciating detail. The monstrous forms inhabiting these scenes appear massive and immense, but in reality the entire landscape is less than half a centimeter across.”

This exhibition is one of 6 selected from among 149 solo proposals submitted for consideration for Manifest’s 16th season.

north gallery

DARK
Shadows, Nightscapes, and Darkness

“Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness.” ― Anne Frank

We close our eyes to it, are born out of it. So much hides within it, and disappears—even us. Under our beds, in the deepest of woods, past the furthest reaches of the Universe, there lies the dark. It is the unknown, the opposite of light—the impossible paradoxical weight reciprocal to the speed of light itself. Darkness saturates existence, gifting the insight brought by contrast. Therefore, perhaps, it somehow serves as a source for happiness and even light itself.

We invited artists from around the world to submit works for consideration which in some way address the theme of Dark, including any manner of interpretation, from literal to symbolic and philosophical.

For this exhibit 103 artists submitted 359 works from 30 states, Washington D.C., and 5 countries, including Canada, England, Israel, Poland and the United States for consideration. Seventeen works by these 15 artists from 11 states were selected by a blind jury process for presentation in the gallery and the Manifest Exhibition Annual publication.

Presenting works by:

Andrew Arkell
Chicago, Illinois

Susan Bryant
Clarksville, Tennessee

Jacob Crook
Starkville, Mississippi

Donovan Entrekin
Flint, Michigan

Donald Furst
Wilmington, North Carolina

Alexandra Gataeva
Rochester, New York

Kenneth Hall
Cedar Falls, Iowa

Joseph Kameen
Graniteville, South Carolina

Jordan Kornreich
Starkville, Mississippi

William Linthicum
Cincinnati, Ohio

Andrew Mullally
Sycamore, Illinois

Elsa Munoz
Chicago, Illinois

Ron Prigat
Cincinnati, Ohio

Lisa Rickard
Boynton Beach, Florida

Duat Vu
Springfield, Missouri

     Jacob Crook

     Kenneth Hall

     Elsa Munoz

Preview Reception: Thursday, December 12, 7-9pm
Public Opening: Friday, December 13, 6-9pm

Preview Reception: Thursday, January 23, 7-9pm
Public Opening: Friday, January 24, 6-9pm

Preview Reception: Thursday, March 5, 7-9pm
Public Opening: Friday, March 6, 6-9pm

Preview Reception: Thursday, April 16, 7-9pm
Public Opening: Friday, April 17, 6-9pm

Preview Reception: Thursday, May 28, 7-9pm
Public Opening: Friday, May 29, 6-9pm

Preview Reception: Thursday, July 09, 7-9pm
Public Opening: Friday, July 10, 6-9pm

Preview Reception: Thursday, August 13, 7-9pm
Public Opening: Friday, August 14, 6-9pm

main gallery + drawing room + parallel space

PAINTED 2019
4th Biennial Survey of Contemporary Painting

At some point many generations ago society reached a level where ordinary people could spend a lifetime perfecting their ability to mix and apply paint, in extraordinary ways. Manifest established this exhibit as a permanent biennial project in 2013 to inaugurate our expanded gallery. PAINTED 2019 is the fourth biennial presentation of this survey of contemporary painting.

PAINTED joins Drawn as a recurring gallery exhibition designed to complement our annual INDA and INPA (drawing and painting) publications. Every two years it launches our exhibition season by presenting a competitive group exhibition focused exclusively on painting.

For this exhibit 167 artists from 35 states, Canada, Greece, Singapore, and Turkey submitted 682 works. Thirty-three works by the following 26 artists from 17 states were selected by a blind jury process for presentation in the gallery and the Manifest Exhibition Annual publication.

Presenting works by:

Erick Anderson
Lindenhurst, Illinois

Kim Anderson
Bradenton, Florida

Shannon Cannings
Lubbock, Texas

Gregory Carr
Detroit, Michigan

Daniel Dallmann
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

David Dorsey
Pittsford, New York

Hannah K Freeman
Morgantown, West Virginia

Jason Lee Gimbel
Denver, Colorado

Susan Hoffer
Upper Jay, New York

Donald Keefe
Ooltewah, Tennessee

Anne Lindberg
Wilmington, North Carolina

Junyi Liu
Brooklyn, New York

Perin Mahler
Laguna Beach, California

Michael McCaffrey
Lawrence, Kansas

Armin Mühsam
Kansas City, Missouri

Mihee Nahm
Grapevine, Texas

Martina Nehrling
Chicago, Illinois

Isoko Onodera
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

James Perrin
Nashville, Tennessee

Ron Prigat
Cincinnati, Ohio

Erin Raedeke
Montgomery Village, Maryland

Robert Samartino
Brooklyn, New York

Dana Saulnier
Oxford, Ohio

Carol Stewart
Columbus, Ohio

Lance Turner
Ashland City, Tennessee

Dganit Zauberman
Guilford, Connecticut

     Erin Raedeke

     Jason Lee Gimbel

     Dana Saulnier

     Dganit Zauberman

central gallery

AQUACHROME
Contemporary Watercolor*

Quite possibly the oldest form of painting, watercolor persists today, defying narrow categorization and broad stereotype. Practiced for centuries in concept development preliminary to 'finished' paintings made in oil or other scale-worthy durable media, watercolor also found favor with botanists, illustrators, and portraitists, and was applied to varied and countless surfaces.

The nature of the media itself represents a delicate and dictatorial transparency, fluidity, and a potential for expressive spontaneity. This not only makes it an ideal vehicle for contemporary art, but also one of training, intensity, philosophy, and play for any who practice it. Where an artist can easily dominate other painting media, forcing a will through viscous layers into a work of art like taming a wild horse, with watercolor there is dialog, compromise, and undeniable forthrightness. In this way the artist practicing watercolor works with a tiger in the room.

*Along with watercolor, works in gouache, ink wash, and other similar media were accepted for consideration.

For this exhibit 52 artists from 21 states, Washington D.C., and Brazil, Canada, and Poland submitted 209 works for consideration. Fifteen works by the following 9 artists from 6  states were selected by a blind jury process for presentation in the gallery and the Manifest Exhibition Annual publication.

Presenting works by:

Mark Adkins
Oak Park, Illinois

Andrew Arkell
Chicago, Illinois

Carrie Callihan
South Lebanon, Ohio

Steven Elbert
Columbus, Ohio

Janet Gorzegno
Hattiesburg, Mississippi

Pauline Goldsmith
Miami, Florida

Reuben Negron
Asheville, North Carolina

Julio Suarez
Jonesville, Michigan

Tanzanight
Miami, Florida

Aquachrome was last presented as part of our painting biennial in 2017. We were pleased then to announce its reinstatement as a permanent element of the biennial, and look forward to showcasing and documenting works of watercolor and related media, alongside the wider spectrum of painting, every two years.

     Mark Adkins

     Reuben Negron

     Steven Elbert

north gallery

STAY AND REMAIN
Paintings by Joe Morzuch

Joe Morzuch is an observational painter currently residing in Starkville, Mississippi. In addition to his studio work, he is an Assistant Professor at Mississippi State University where he teaches courses in foundations, painting, and drawing. In 2006 he received his MFA from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He has taught at the college level for the past 15 years and actively exhibits his work nation-wide.

Of his work the artist states:

"As a still life painter, I am interested in the visual and communicative potential of objects that are cast off, discarded, and over-looked. Inherent to the genre is an engagement with the mundane, domestic, and every-day, as well as the notion of an arrested visual experience. These subjects, their intrinsic intimacy, and the process of working from life are rich with pictorial and conceptual possibilities...

I am concerned with the subjective nature of perception, and the challenge of translating visual information into paintings that speak of their own making as both image and object...

Time is the purview of still life painting, with its charge to hold fast as a reminder of the impermanence of all things, and is reflected in the title of this exhibition. “Stay and Remain” is a plea, referring to the act of painting, the endurance of objects, absence, love, and loss. There is something in the attempt to arrest a moment—to present an arrested moment through an accumulation of moments observed and painted—that feels necessary but also paradoxical. This work, with its forms suspended between coalescence and fragmentation, was made in an effort to reflect that paradox.”

This exhibition is one of 6 selected from among 149 solo proposals submitted for consideration for Manifest’s 16th season.

Listen in on a podcast interview with Joe from 2014: