FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
WORK BY WISCONSIN ARTIST SELECTED BY THE NATIONAL ART MUSEUM OF SPORT
Madison, WI – October 24, 2011 – A fine art photograph entitled “Driving Rain” (2010) by Madison, WI artist Clint Thayer has been selected for exhibition placement in the 2nd Annual International Fine Arts Competition: Commitment to Excellence in Art & Sport. The juried competition was conducted by the National Art Museum of Sport (NAMOS) in Indianapolis, IN. The exhibit will run at NAMOS from October 27, 2011-February 29, 2012.
Over 300 entries were submitted by artists from 44 states and 9 countries. Thayer is the only artist in the state of Wisconsin whose work was selected.
“Driving Rain” depicts Arrietta Walker Clauss of Madison, WI during the Mid-America Time Trial Series Finale in September 2010. Clauss holds the 2010 and 2011 USA Cycling National Time Trial championship titles for her age division. “To me, ‘Driving Rain’ represents complete and utter determination,” said Thayer. “In seeking to bridge the worlds of art and sport I focus on composition and on finding the emotional element where sport and the human experience overlap, and both were aligned within this image,” said Thayer.
Founded in 1959, NAMOS maintains one of the largest collections of fine art depicting sport in the United States. The museum is dedicated to encouraging artists engaged in the genre, and also to collect, preserve, and share the best examples of sport art NAMOS can acquire. “The founder of NAMOS, Germain G. Glidden, was a portrait artist and champion squash player,” said NAMOS Executive Director Elizabeth C. Varner. “Glidden believed that sport art is like the Olympics: it has the power to bring together people from all over the world in peace,” said Varner.
Over 40 sports are represented in the over 900 paintings, sculptures, and photographs at NAMOS. Artists whose works are included in the permanent collection include George Bellows, Ogden Pliessner, Winslow Homer, Ray Ellis, James Fiorentino, Joe Brown, and Alfred Boucher.
The museum’s first home was in Madison Square Garden in New York. It has been in Indianapolis since 1990, and will present events related to Indianapolis’ hosting of Superbowl XLVI on February 12, 2012.
The National Art Museum of Sport at 850 West Michigan Street, Indianapolis, IN is open free to the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. For group tours and weekend hours call 317.274.3627 or e-mail ecvarner@iupui.edu; for more information see http://www.namos.iupui.edu. A free opening reception for the 2nd Annual International Fine Arts Competition will be held from 5-7 pm on Thursday, October 27, 2011.
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