Exhibition Prospectus

The Magic Silver Show: The Elena Diane Curris Juried Photography Exhibition

The Clara M. Eagle Gallery is the home to "The Magic Silver Show: The Elena Diane Curris Juried Photography Exhibition," an  international juried show open to artists, 18 and older, working in all photo-media processes. 

This is an international juried exhibition with works selected for exhibit by the juror. All entries must be original, completed with the last 5 years, and not previously exhibited in The Clara M. Eagle Gallery. The juror for the 2021 Magic Silver Show was Sherri Nienass Littlefield. Littlefield was a New York City based curator and photographer interested in data, collaborative projects, and using contemporary art toward social good. Littlefield was the director of the esteemed Foley Gallery from 2016-2019, and was the Interim Director of ClampArt in 2020. Projects curated by Littlefield have been featured at PULSE Art Fair, AIPAD, the Huffington Post, Artnet, DNAinfo New York, and Whitewall Magazine. She has served as a juror and reviewer for many competitions, including Photo Lucida Critical Mass (2020), PDN’S The Curator (2019), Photoville and PDN’s Photo Plus. She was a reviewer during the prestigious Palm Springs Photo Festival in September 2020.

To apply to the 2023 Magic Silver Show please stay tuned! 

High + Low: A Forty-Five Year Retrospective of Dominick Lombardi

Curated by T. Michael Martin, Director of University Galleries, this exhibition is available for travel. For information, contact: msu.eaglegallery@murraystate.edu.

2019 The Clara M. Eagle Gallery, Murray, KY

2021 The Marie Walsh Sharpe Galleries of Contemporary Art, Colorado Springs, CO

2022 The Dowd Gallery, SUNY Cortland, Cortland, NY

View the "High + Low" exhibition catalogue

Blurring Boundaries: The Women of American Abstract Artists, 1936 - Present

This exhibition is available for travel. The Clara M. Eagle Gallery co-organized "Blurring Boundaries: The Women of American Abstract Artsts, 1936 - Present" for tour by the traveling exhibition professionals at International Arts & Artists. Learn about availability and more information about this fabulous exhibition.  

       

The Magic Silver Show: The Elena Diane Curris Juried Photography Exhibition

THE MAGIC SILVER SHOW: THE ELENA DIANE CURRIS JURIED PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION INFO

The Clara M. Eagle Gallery is the home to "The Magic Silver Show: The Elena Diane Curris Juried Photography Exhibition," an international juried show open to artists, 18 and older, working in all photo-media processes. “The Magic Silver Show” began in the mid 1970’s as a juried exhibition designed to encourage, foster understanding, and reward those involved in photographic media. This exhibition presents a survey of contemporary photo media in all aspects and genres. "The Magic Silver Show: The Elena Diane Curris Juried Photography Exhibition" returned to The Clara M. Eagle Gallery at Murray State University in the Spring 2019 and will continue as a biennial exhibition. Stay tuned for entry information and updates about the upcoming deadline for the 2021 exhibition. 

 

 

The Elena Diane Curris Endowment for the Visual Arts

The Elena Diane Curris Endowment for the Visual Arts was established as an endowment by gifts from family and friends of Elena Diane Curris to memorialize her generous and adventurous spirit and to support the strength and reputation of the visual arts at Murray State University.

Every two years, the series will feature "The Magic Silver Show: The Elena Diane Curris Juried Photography Exhibition"  as a biennial juried exhibition designed to encourage, foster understanding, and reward those involved in photographic media. This exhibition will present a survey of contemporary photo media in all aspects and genres. Expanding on the legacy of the exhibition’s past, the upcoming exhibitions will feature traditional silver gelatin techniques, experimental light-sensitive processes, digital media, video, film, performance, varied contemporary photo media techniques, moving image, and a variety of two-dimensional and three-dimensional mixed-media work within the rich and expansive field of contemporary photography. Such varied and innovative approaches to traditional methods by artists in the field continue to redefine photography and its possibilities. In the alternate year,  The Elena Diane Curris Endowment for the Visual Arts  will also provide for a visual arts lecture, exhibition, or presentation supported in part through  this  endowment, providing an educational opportunity for the students at Murray State University between the juried exhibition dates.

This Visual Arts series is named in memory of Elena Diane Curris (1977-2015), the daughter of the sixth president of Murray State University, Dr. Constantine (Deno) W. Curris and Jo Hern Curris, along with her brother Robert (Page) Alexander, Elena lived her first six years of life in Oakhurst, the beautiful presidential home on the Murray State University campus.   

Elena Diane Curris earned an associate degree in communications from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and a bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications and photography from the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. Over the course of her career, Elena worked with Mirabella Magazine (NYC) followed by Ralph Lauren Corp. in New York City and Aspen, Colorado before assuming a public relations and development position at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). As Director of Community Projects and Marketing at CSULB, Elena represented the University on the Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce, Orange County Business Council, Leadership Long Beach, the Fashion Institute of Design, and the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation. Elena also had directed the CSULB President's Forum on International Human Rights and co-directed the 2015 CSULB Veterans Day Celebration.

Throughout her life, Elena enjoyed collegiate sports, musical concerts, skiing, travel, and had an abiding interest in photography.  We recognize, and thank, the Curris Family for this generous gift to reinstate this biennial juried exhibition, and for their continued support, valued respect, and continued interest in the University Galleries ongoing programming within the educational mission of the Department of Art & Design. This endowment will impact the educational experience of generations of students and for that we are very grateful.

The Mission

The mission of The University Galleries at Murray State, in all of its activities, is to serve the students and scholars of the campus community through the exhibition, interpretation, study, collection and preservation of art. The University Galleries seeks to be a tool in the advancement of cultural knowledge; a laboratory for creative experimentation and expression; and a forum in which students and scholars may engage in creative and intellectual discourse with regional, national, and international artists of our time.

The University Galleries at Murray State are the most public aspect of the Department of Art & Design’s operation and consist of four distinct exhibition spaces. The Clara M. Eagle Gallery occupies three spaces. It is located in the Price Doyle Fine Arts Center and occupies much of the sixth and seventh floors. It consists of 4,000 square feet of exhibition space on the main level with a section of that space called the Mary Ed Mecoy Hall Gallery, 1,500 square feet on the upper level and 1,600 square feet of support space. There is a permanent collection of 1,500+ pieces of art housed in the support space. 

The main level of The Clara M. Eagle Gallery is the site of several major exhibitions throughout the year that feature national and international artists. The upper level is dedicated to exhibitions of graduating students, an annual high school art competition, and other exhibitions with a regional reach, many of which are oriented to compliment the studio programming and provide educational impact on current student work.The University Galleries has the ability to host a variety of exhibitions. The Clara M Eagle Gallery is a dynamic multi-level exhibition space for visitors to learn about the history of art and contemporary new media. With 8,200 sq. ft. of exhibition space and over 1,500+ works of art housed in our permanent collection, The University Galleries at Murray State are a constant source of innovative programming and educational research within the community. The Clara M. Eagle Gallery, the Eagle Upper Gallery, and the Mary Ed Mecoy Hall Gallery are located at 604 Fine Arts Building in Murray, Kentucky on the campus of Murray State University.

If you would like to send your portfolio or proposal for consideration for future exhibition opportunities, please try to adhere to the following guidelines and note that we cannot respond to all inquires:

Digital submissions are highly encouraged. The University Galleries will also review artist websites if you include the URL within your materials. Please send a cover letter to introduce yourself and your artwork, provide images, a description of the works, and include an Artist Statement, CV, and Artist Bio- include previous shows, education, awards, grants, residencies, etc. (also note that major previous exhibition experience is not required. We choose our artists based on the quality of their work and the impact it will have on our students, the supporting materials help us to see where you have been and what you have been doing) Submissions are reviewed regularly, but we cannot review your information immediately, so please be patient during this process. The University Galleries is not responsible for lost or damaged submissions or the return of contents. Thank you for your continued interest.

Send submissions and proposals for future exhibition opportunities to:
msu.eaglegallery@murraystate.edu
or
Submissions & Proposals
c/o University Galleries
604 Fine Arts Building
Murray, KY 42071