In Praise of On-line Gallery Exhibits, by Ileana Soto

I hadn’t understood the variety of advantages of an on-line exhibit … and how creative the organizers could be. Let me share with you! This August, I was juried into 2 online gallery exhibits and another member-only online exhibit. The Verum Ultimum Gallery, Portland, OR, sponsored a juried exhibit called “Strata III: Manifesting through the Layers”. This gallery has a very strenuous jurying process. As an example, they sent me an email after the 6th of 10 rounds of jurying that I was still in the mix! After the last round, I received a welcome email that I had made the cut, and my piece “Between Waking and Dreaming” had been accepted. This piece is part of another juried show “Art Movements in Fiber” and will be shown this November one last venue in Pacific Grove, CA.

Not only did the Verum Ultimum Gallery (https://www.verumultimumartgallery.com/strata-iii) have an on-line exhibit through exhibbit.com (https://publish.exhibbit.com/gallery/315691463435595736/two-rooms-134926/), they send the link to a list of collectors interested in collecting art. Next, we artists were asked to provide a formal narrative about our piece plus a resume. The gallerist, Jennifer Gillia Cuthall, then put together a fascinating blogpost (Layer upon Layer, from studio to surface, STRATA III artists fit it all in...) that is on their website. And, an on-line catalog is on their site where the pages are virtually turned to reveal each piece of art in ‘duets’, to best show off each artist’s piece. This exhibit will be up for two additional weeks after August 31st. I was pleased to know about and be a part of this complex online exhibit.

The O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, Mill Valley, CA, sponsored “Women Artists Making Their Mark: https://www.ohanloncenter.org/2025/06/women-artists-25/. It is another online exhibit (August 25-October 24) in which you’ll be able to see one of my pieces, “Pentimento”. On opening day, the O’Hanlon offered a zoom meeting for the participating artists to each take one minute to talk about their piece. This was recorded and will be available online. They will also put together a catalog that can be uploaded through their website. Here's what I had to say about “Pentimento, a piece that is also in the Art Cloth Network’s 2024 ‘Revision’ exhibit. “The word pentimento is defined as: visible traces of an earlier painting beneath a layer or layers of paint on canvas. My piece is made of vintage cloth, printed with thickened dyes and paint. Other elements are fused onto it, and it is completed with hand and machine stitch. I originally made this piece for an exhibit called “Women’s Work” at the Recology Center Gallery in San Francisco, shown in 2018. The original theme of this piece was and remains the unacknowledged work of women in agriculture. The serpentine shapes wind throughout like furrowed fields. Revised in 2024, the earlier images and forms have been re-layered and re-colored, sections were cut and replaced. Earlier images recede to the background to create a layered history of women.”

Last, The Textile Study Group of New York (TSGNY), “Gallery 38, Summer Gallery”, offers an online summer and winter exhibit to its members: https://www.tsgny.org/gallery-37-winter-2025-copy-1. You will see my piece “Executive Orders”, August-November 2025. This is an opportunity to view the beautiful work of members in this outstanding organization. They also offer monthly talks by artists from around the world on the third Wednesdays of the month, preceded by two talks by member artists. I was honored to give one of the member talks in January of this year. That experience inspired me to record my talk for a YouTube posting.

These are three reasons to enjoy the benefits of entering thoughtful online exhibits. Don’t hesitate!