The 2011 Radius250 installation (Photo by Dan Mouer)
When artists submit work to a gallery, one might not think they’d need to use a GPS to know if they’ll be considered.
But every two years, only artists who live within 250 miles of Richmond can submit work for acceptance into the biennial exhibition Radius250, hosted by Richmond’s Artspace gallery. The idea for this exhibition based on a geographic measurement came when the gallery moved to its current location at the Plant Zero Art Center in Manchester in 2004. According to Judith Anderson, Artspace’s president at the time, its leadership wanted a big show that would help publicize the new location and establish the gallery in the Richmond area. She worked with organizers and future presidents Jessica Sims and Dana Frostick to design a fresh exhibition, and Radius250 was born.
With its seventh installment opening May 26, Radius250 continues to act as a beacon for artists in the Richmond corridor of the East Coast. It's a way to weave together artistic connections between rural areas and large cities, including Raleigh, Baltimore, Philadelphia and, of course, Richmond. “Radius250 has been a great way for Artspace to connect with emerging artists in our region,” Frostick says. “It could potentially provide exhibition opportunities for the development of their artistic careers.”
Radius250 also provides a singular take on gallery curation, relying on a hand-picked juror who reviews art submissions and curates a unique experience for each show. Jurors have ranged from top museum curators to academics and beyond. This year’s juror is Francis Thompson, the art program project manager at Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated, a global real estate firm with an office in Richmond. Thompson has managed contemporary corporate art collections installed in more than 70 office buildings nationwide, and was assistant gallery director for the Ellipse Art Center in Arlington and gallery coordinator for the Virginia Tech Armory Gallery. Thompson will select the top three submissions, awarding first place $500, second place $300 and third place $200. The winning artist’s work will also be featured in an exhibition in Artspace’s Helena Davis Gallery in 2018.
Radius250 2017 opens May 26 and runs through June 18 at Artspace, Zero E. Fourth St.
