Visual Art Spectrum

Visual Art Spectrum is a national non-professional visual competition whose mission is to encourage non-professional visual art creation in all genres, in a regional and national context, and to provide opportunities for the assessment of its level in any particular period and for the further education of amateur visual artists by means of its analytical seminar. It covers free visual art disciplines (drawing, painting, graphic art, sculpture, applied arts and works of intermedia nature).

The history of the event goes back to the 1960s when the Výtvarná Dubnica/Dubnica Visual Art Exhibition was held in Dubnica nad Váhom. In 1994 the competition was held in Trenčín for the first time, under the new name Výtvarné Spektrum/Visual Art Spectrum. After just one implementation in Bratislava, the event has settled down in the town of Humenné. The event is run annually at three levels: district, regional and national. It is structured into the assessment of particular rounds of the competition; presentation of its results (exhibitions); and educational activity (analytical and evaluative seminars). Lower-level rounds are hosted by regional cultural centres. The National Centre of Culture announces the competition, acts as expert guarantor, and currently, in co-operation with the Vihorlat PEC, is also the organiser of the national event in Humenné. Co-organisers include Humenné Municipal Government, Vihorlat Museum and Humenné Municipal Culture Centre, the entities of state administration and self-government and third sector in Humenné, and the Prešov Self-Governing Region. Members of expert juries assess visual art works in five categories, taking account of the age and degree of visual art education of their authors. About 400-600 artistic works by 200-300 authors advance annually to the national round of the competition; opportunities are provided for the presentation of 200-300 works by 120-200 authors. The exhibition is installed in the representative halls of the Humenné Mansion, which houses the Vihorlat Museum Humenné, and in the more chamber-like ambience of Vihorlat PEC. A tradition of accompanying solo exhibitions celebrating the jubilees of significant figures of the amateur visual art scene has also evolved in Humenné.

After 11 years as a nationwide competition Visual Art Spectrum changed the place for ceremonial openings and exhibition, moving from Humenné to Piešťany. Piešťany Municipal Cultural Centre became the main organizer and the National Cultural Centre was given the responsibility by the commission of the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic of being an enunciator and professional guarantor of the event.

Co-organisers of the competition are the House of Arts Piešťany, Piešťany Municipal Government and Trnava Self-Governing Region. The announcement of results for the 47th year of Visual Art Spectrum in 2010 was held in the Fontána Gallery in the town of Piešťany on 14 July 2010. During the ceremony the main prize as well as 33 other prizes and honest acknowledgements were awarded. 252 amateur artists with 471 works of art competed in the nationwide round of the competition. In the exhibition there were presented works of 170 artists with 270 works from the national round which were selected from among eight regional competitions of Visual Art Spectrum. The jury then awarded 33 authors and the main prize was given to Milan Bandurčin. Visitors to Piešťany could see works of art in two exhibition places – in the National Cultural Centre and the House of Art in Piešťany there were works by authors aged 15-25 years, while in the Fontána Gallery of Piešťany Municipal Cultural Centre there were works by authors older than 25 years.