To register click on the link below:
http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2594756988

Join us for our artist reception on February 18th from 5 to 8pm and an exhibition talk & gallery walkthrough starting at 6pm. The gallery is located at 604 Erie Avenue, Lower Level in Sheboygan. This exhibition runs from February 9 – March 10, 2012.

The Fond du Lac Visual Artists is a professional artists’ collaborative devoted to art awareness and education, to the development and enhancement of artists’ skills, and to strengthening the connection between the arts and commerce in Fond du Lac. The purpose of Fond du Lac Visual Artists is to create a membership base of area artists who would like to work together with other artists in a partnership capacity, to share the work, expense, effort, and time of making a profitable living in the visual art arena. The collaborative is not limited to profit, it also promotes education, mentoring, and public awareness of the visual arts.

Rudolph Hajenga (WI) is a self-taught artist who has been hanging out in Sheboygan for the past couple of years. In this time, Hajenga has gravitated towards paint and canvas. Although his subject matter varies, the work in this exhibition will focus on figures distorted through the use of color and Native American motif.

Gallery hours are Thursday & Fridays, 5-8pm; Saturdays from 11-3pm and by appointment.

Open to the public.

Contact Frank Juarez at 920.559.7181 or effjayprojekts@gmail.com for further information about this exhibition or inquiries about the artists’ work.

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EFFJAY PROJEKTS Gallery is pleased to launch a 6-part series of workshops titled, “Designing Your Promotional Plan for Artists” on February 18 from 10 am to 1pm. This series focuses on the development of a promotional plan that meets the needs of today’s artist. Discover ways to advance your art career, how to create your own audience and how to increase your online presence. These workshops are hands-on, which will guide you through a 6-step process called, “Pathway to Success”.

The first step to any promotional plan is to determine what avenue you would like to explore such as but not limited to: social media outlets, blog, and website. Through a series of questions and activities you will be able to reflect on your past practices of self-promotion and determine how to develop your audience target and/or market. Also, this is a great way to learn about new ways of promoting your work.

Frank Juarez is a Wisconsin artist, gallery owner, art educator, advocate and community leader living and teaching in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. In 2005, he committed his life to expose, educate and engage others on the importance of experiencing and supporting the Visual Arts. Organizing local and regional art exhibitions, community art events, facilitating presentations, and supporting artists through professional development workshops, use of social media and networking has placed him in the forefront of advancing and promoting local artists and attracting regional and national artists to interact, collaborate, network and exhibit in the Sheboygan community.

Juarez is the art department chair at Sheboygan North High School. He is actively involved in local, regional and state arts organization such as the Wisconsin Art Education Association, Milwaukee Artist Resource Network, and Arts Wisconsin. In 2011, he has opened his first art gallery, EFFJAY PROJEKTS Gallery, in Sheboygan.

Juarez has given talks on the art of business/business of art to Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design’s Creative Institute (2009) and the Bay View Arts Guild (2010).

Contact Frank Juarez at 920.559.7181 or effjayprojekts@gmail.com for further information about Designing Your Promotional Plan for Artists or how to register for this series.

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EFFJAY PROJEKTS Gallery is pleased to announce that it now represents Wisconsin artist Tony Conrad.  He had his first solo exhibition at the gallery titled, “J’aime la bête” (I love the beast), in October 2011; participated in INDIANA GREEN, a regional art exhibition in Sheboygan; and was selected as of one of seven artists to exhibit in the gallery’s inauguration group show.

Conrad’s paintings explore visual components of social stereotypes and oddities from popular culture. In his most current work, Conrad confronts the small town ideologies he remembers from growing up in rural Wisconsin with humorous and ironic depictions of trophy hunting. The hybrid paintings exhibit cross-cultural references with use of vibrant colors and patterns influenced by Persian textiles, wallpaper, doilies, camouflage, and 1960s psychedelic rock posters. The pulsing embellishment present throughout the work speaks not only to the mania surrounding many hunting circles, but also to the decadent nature of American culture. Metaphorically, the paintings represent the complexity of idealized beauty, cultural identity and the euphoric rush of the outdoorsman experience. This work synthesizes these symbolic elements, resulting in a hybridized reality where delicate domesticity and wild outdoor ruggedness all coexist.

Courtesy of the Artist

Conrad is currently a Lecturer of Art at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, where he now lives.  He received his MFA degree in painting and drawing from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2009.  Conrad’s work has been nationally exhibited in various solo, group, and invitational exhibitions and has won a number of awards including the Lawrence Rathsack Scholarship and the Frederick R. Layton Fellowship.  In 2012, Conrad’s work will be exhibited in a number of national and international venues including: The Museum of Wisconsin Art (West Bend, WI), Art Museum of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts (Guangzhou, China), and the Wriston Art Center Galleries (Lawrence University, Appleton, WI).

Gallery hours: Thursday & Fridays, 5-8pm; Saturdays from 11-3pm and by appointment. For additional information/images contact: Frank Juarez at 920.559.7181 or effjayprojekts@gmail.com.

Image above: Darkside Echoes, acrylic on panel, 36×24 inches

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