Founded in 1968 by the Cincinnati Art Club, ViewPoint is an open juried exhibition—responsible for both the selection of works and the awarding of prizes—that reflects the creative breadth and diversity of the Greater Cincinnati artistic community. Over the years, the exhibition has expanded to include submissions from across the country and abroad. Today, it stands among the most prominent annual juried shows in Southwest Ohio, esteemed for its continuity. It is usually hosted by one of the area’s distinguished commercial galleries; this year, ARTclectic Gallery served as venue. The opening and awards ceremony took place on Friday, October 3, with the exhibition running through Saturday, October 25.

It is worth underscoring that ViewPoint grants space and visibility to works of quality regardless of school or classification. At present, it excludes photography, video, crafts, fiber arts, AI- or computer-generated work, painting over photographs or prints, and jewelry. Nor does it admit paintings produced in workshops or classes.

The Event

The attendance of more than three hundred guests at the opening affirmed the maturity of an event firmly established in the cultural calendar, capable of gathering artists across generations and a public well aware of its importance. Nearly four hundred submissions were received—eloquent evidence in themselves—of which only seventy were selected.

This edition, led by Martha Howard—visual artist and active member of the Cincinnati Art Club—brought together a team that managed logistics and appointed the jury. The anonymity of the five jurors ensured an impartial deliberation process, whose outcome was a selection of remarkable visual coherence. The stylistic spectrum—ranging from hyperrealism to abstraction, encompassing plein air, political art, and conceptual approaches—converged in a display of exceptional technical quality. By the jury’s own admission, this was among the most difficult editions to judge in the exhibition’s history.

Guest juror Farley Lewis, artist from Springfield, Missouri, mediated with subtle humor and critical rigor, drawing a respectful and approachable bridge between artists and audience. He insisted on the continued relevance of beauty in art, which for him unfolds in three dimensions: design, surprise, and emotion. In his view, a work becomes memorable when formal harmony joins the unexpected while retaining the power to move.

Honorable Mentions

The honorable mentions themselves testified to that diversity. They were awarded to Jessica Boone for Now That’s Disco, Ursula Brenner for Forever Moments, Ken Buck for Towards Light, Angela Campbell for Carefree on the Little Miami, Madeline Gage for Wood Fire Tooth Vase, Virginia Martínez for Roots, and Kevin Muente for Listen. The jury affirmed that these works stood out among hundreds for their sensitivity and compositional force.

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Awards of Excellence

The Awards of Excellence—supported by institutions and sponsors with both material and financial backing—confirmed the wide aesthetic range that defines ViewPoint. The Ampersand Art Supply Award of Excellence went to Marilee Klosterman for Snowplow Weather. The Brush and Palette Painters Award of Excellence went to Chris Krupinski for Such Cuties. The Velma J. Morris Award was presented to Dana Olsen for Thinking Outside the Box. The Suders Art Supply Award of Excellence went to Beth Wenstrup for Living Water. The Robin Imaging Services Award of Excellence went to Kea Thompson for Eureka Springs Rail. The Frame Concepts Award of Excellence went to Brian Burt for The Windy Day Cocktail. The Jack Richeson Award of Excellence was awarded to Monica Anne Achberger for Ethereal Glow.

The Best Sculpture Award went to David Mikitka for Flora Metallica, while the In Memoriam Award (honoring DeVere Burt, Phyllis M. Dattillo, Martha E. Weber, and Joan Rothel) was granted to Ken Call for Arco Iris. The ARTclectic Gallery Award went to Andrea Walker for Autumn Harvest and the OKI Award to Chuck Marshall for The Spaniard.

Each of these awards recognized not only technical mastery but also the capacity to propose contemporary languages while honoring tradition. Burt was praised for his homage to Pop Art; Walker, for her meticulous watercolor discipline; and Mikitka, for a sculpture that combines the organic and the volcanic with enduring blooms rising from stone.

Major Prizes

As tradition dictates, the major prizes were unveiled at the close of the evening. Third Prize went to Yang Yeqiang for Return to Classicism – Madame X, a figurative portrait where glass reflections add mystery and dynamism to the composition. Second Prize was awarded to Todd Price for Summer on the Divide, a work marked by visual breadth and atmospheric strength. And First Prize, endowed with $3,000, was presented to Keith Shebesta for his masterful watercolor A’ Peeling Skins, celebrated by the jury as an example of freshness, warmth, and balance.

Lewis’s final reflection, centered on emotion as the nucleus of art, concluded the event. His words reminded all that beauty is not an obsolete concept but a vital axis for understanding contemporary creation. The jurors admitted that some works provoked immediate physical responses—goosebumps, or a sudden silent admiration—testament to the profound impact of this edition.

The evening closed with collective applause for art as a unifying expression, and with the group photograph of all participating artists, reaffirming the communal character of the exhibition. What remains clear in memory is that ViewPoint 57 does not merely bestow individual prizes: it strengthens an artistic community committed to maintaining high standards of quality and to defending the relevance of art as a space for encounter, memory, and beauty.