The broad range of artwork in this year’s “Small Images” show is surely a sight to see, even though you might have to squint to see them.

The 26th annual “Small Images” art show opened with a reception Friday evening in the Atkinson Gallery at City College. “Small” refers to the size of the art, which can be no bigger than 18 inches in any direction.

Whopping 132 artists entered with their works in the show; only 70 were chosen to clutter the walls of the gallery. There’s a range of about 75 years among the artists, from a high school student to an artist in his or her 90s.

Anyone can submit art for $15 and additional pieces of art for $10 each, up to three entries, for a chance to have their artwork on display.

“Our students and the community have an opportunity to get their work out in front of people, and that’s great,” said Dane Goodman, Atkinson Gallery art director. “You just can’t knock on the door of museums and say ‘look at my work’.”

This years guest juror was Miki Garcia, Santa Barbara contemporary arts forum director, who had the daunting task of choosing the 87 artworks from the 242 total entries for the show.
Garcia, who has a master’s degree in contemporary Latin American art from the University of Texas, also chose works to win one Jurors Award, two 2-D Awards, two 3-D Awards, and six merit awards, totaling $1,000 in cash prizes.

Virginia McCracken’s mixed media and paper mache piece titled “Stepping Out” is part of a trio that displays two characters, a dog and a rabbit. The expressionless animals are walking side-by-side toward the viewer as if strutting the latest fashions on a Milan runway, stopped only by a piece of glass.

An art’s degree isn’t required to appreciate this year’s show. Art connoisseurs to stick-figure drawers will find something to delight the eye from drawings and paintings to sculpture and artist books.

“[Garcia] did a very good job of picking a broad range of work so there’s not all abstract, there’s not all landscape,” Goodman said. “If you look carefully at the whole show, she picked out, stylistically, a wide range of work, a wide range of techniques, of styles and mediums.”

A solemn piece, “She” by Ashley Mac Torrey is an etching of a woman’s torso, arms hanging at her sides with long fingernails, emoting feelings of sorrow and loss. An excerpt typed on her body begins “As far as I knew she hadn’t been seen since…”

The show manages to incorporate contemporary art with classic pieces into a show and brings together a collection of the community’s artwork by and for all ages. While small, each art speaks louder than words. Spencer Sky Sherman’s piece, “The light that fills the world” is one example of that. If night vision goggles collided with bright primary colors and you looked across a meadow, I imagine that’s what it would look like.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published October 5, 2011.