Signature Image selected for the 95th Juried Art Show at Phillips’ Mill

The Phillips’ Mill juried art show committee congratulates Donna Ruane Rogers of Frenchtown, N.J., whose pastel painting of the historic mill, “March Afternoon,” was selected as the Signature Image for the 95th Juried Art Show, taking place Sept. 21 though Oct. 27.

Chosen by a ranked voting procedure, the art committee selected Rogers’ work from among more than 30 submissions by artists living within a 25-mile radius of the Mill, one of the stipulations for submitting to the juried show itself.

Rogers was inspired by the light and shadows on the Mill the day she decided to enter the contest. “One of my goals as an artist is to faithfully depict my subjects and their interaction with natural light,” she said.

“When I found out my painting was chosen as the Signature Image, it blew me away,” said Rogers. “It is such an honor. The Phillips’ Mill Juried Art Show is the pinnacle for artists in the area.”

Last year, two of Rogers’s portfolio pieces were included in the 94th Juried Art Show at Phillips’ Mill.

Retired from a lifelong career in corporate graphic design, Rogers is an associate member of the Pastel Society of America, where her work has been featured in artists’ showcases. She’s exhibited in various venues, including the Hunterdon Art Museum in Clinton, Prallsville Mills in Stockton, Ocean City Arts Center in Ocean City, N.J., West Windsor Arts in Princeton Junction, and The Center for Contemporary Art in Bedminster, N.J.

Her painting “Judy’s Garden” received an Honorable Mention at the Tewksbury Historical Society Art Show in 2023.

The Signature Image is featured on all marketing materials for the annual juried art show including on banners, advertising, posters, postcards, social media, the Mill website, and on invitations for patron support, and the preview opening reception.

“It’s not only an honor, but also a dynamic opportunity to have your work, your style, seen by a very broad audience including some of the region’s top collectors,” said Dennis Riley, chair of the 95th Juried Art Show. “The work is featured in the show and they often sell.”

The winning artist receives an honorarium of $400 and is also free to submit additional entries to the show to be juried, according to the guidelines of the show prospectus.

Some of the show’s previous signature images can be seen in the archives of past exhibitions at www.phillipsmill.org/art/art-exhibition-archives.

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