Brand 53: 53rd Annual National Juried Exhibition of Works on Paper Grand Opening

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 15, 2025 Library, Arts & Culture Media: Maryl Fleisher Email: MFleisher@GlendaleCA.gov Phone: (818) 937-7806

City Media Contact: Communications and Community Relations Email: Communications@GlendaleCA.gov Phone: (818) 548-3342

Brand 53: 53rd Annual National Juried Exhibition of Works on Paper Grand Opening

GLENDALE, CA - Brand Associates, in partnership with Brand Library & Art Center, is pleased to announce the opening of Brand 53: 53rd Annual National Juried Exhibition of Works on Paper, on view from July 19 through September 12, 2025, at Brand Library & Art Center. The exhibition includes over 100 artworks chosen by juror Sigrid Burton, a widely exhibited artist engaged in the local art community. The public opening reception on Saturday, July 19 from 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM will be a festive and fun affair, bringing together artists from diverse backgrounds presenting their first foray into a gallery as well as seasoned professionals whose work is widely known.

This year, over 1,000 artworks were submitted to Brand Associates through an open call process. Juror Sigrid Burton was tasked with selecting which artworks to feature in the exhibition, noting "I tried to select as broad a range as possible, reflecting the variety of approaches to the use of paper, from those that use paper as the surface - photography, printmaking, drawing and painting - to those that use the paper itself as a medium in collage, papier mâché, and various sculptural and other expressions….With so many diverse approaches, the theme of my selections was ultimately necessarily paper itself: how it can be used from traditional means and media to idiosyncratic uses."

The majority of artworks on display in Brand 53 are available for purchase with a portion of the proceeds going to support cultural programming at Brand. Art and catalogs will be for sale at the opening event and beginning the following week from the Associates' website:AssociatesOfBrand.org. A digital version of the catalog will also be available on BrandLibrary.org for the public to learn more about each artist.

Gallery admission is free and open to the public during library open hours. On-site, limited, free parking is available; ride-share is encouraged. Brand Library & Art Center Hours: Tuesday - Thursday, 11:00 AM - 8:00 PM, Friday & Saturday, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Closed Sunday & Monday. Learn more about Brand 53 at BrandLibrary.org/Gallery. Brand Library & Art Center is located at 1601 W. Mountain Street in Glendale, CA.

Accessibility features:

Brand Park features six (6) handicapped parking spaces, four (4) are located adjacent to the Brand Library building. Attendees may be dropped off adjacent to the library side entrance if all spaces are occupied. For other access needs, please contact Brand Library & Art Center at (818) 548-2051 or at Gallery@GlendaleCA.gov five (5) business days in advance and we will make every effort to assist you.

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ABOUT THIS EXHIBITION

The Annual National Juried Exhibition of Works on Paper has been organized and sponsored by Brand Associates since 1971 in cooperation with the City of Glendale Library, Arts & Culture Department. It is one of the region's most prestigious juried shows, drawing entries from across the country. Over the years, the exhibition has evolved to include an increasingly diverse array of three-dimensional artworks as well as an expanding range of approaches to the two-dimensional paper surface. Exhibition chairperson, Debra Thompson, is the President of Brand Associates and a retired adjunct Assistant Professor of Art History at Glendale Community College. Says Thompson "In these unsettled and unsettling times, the response to our call for artists demonstrated that creativity cannot be dampened. It is comforting to know that artists continue to create, explore, and challenge themselves and in the process provide us with artwork that enlightens and delights. You will encounter 2-D, 3-D, and animated artworks that use paper in ways that highlight the wide range of artistic responses to the paper medium and encompass the political and the personal; the joyful and the serious; the representational and the abstract."

This year's juror joins a distinguished roster of jurors who have given their time, energy and expertise over the 52 years this exhibition has been mounted. Included among these artists, gallerists, curators, and educators are Shana Nys Dambrot (2024), Ara Oshagan (2023), Shannon Currie Holmes (2022), Marvella Muro (2021), Dan McCleary (2020), Alma Ruiz (2019), Edward Goldman (2018), Leslie Jones (2017), Jack Rutberg (2014), Peter Frank (2011), Lita Albuquerque (2007), Ruth Weisberg (1985) and Millard Sheets (1979) among many other prominent arts professionals.

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ABOUT SIGRID BURTON

This year we welcome artist Sigrid Burton as our juror, who attended Bennington College, Vermont, and UC Berkeley. In New York City, she worked as a studio assistant to painters Helen Frankenthaler and Jules Olitski. She has exhibited widely with solo exhibitions in New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Her work is included in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Ringling Museum, Palm Springs Desert Museum, and many others. Her scholarly work has been recognized by a Fulbright Indo-American Senior Research Fellowship and a Rockefeller Foundation Arts Residences in Italy. Sigrid Burton currently resides in Pasadena, her hometown, and is actively engaged in the local art community. We anticipate a wonderful Brand 53 under her highly trained eye.

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ABOUT BRAND ASSOCIATES

Brand Associates is a nonprofit community-based organization that endeavors to make possible and support a rich array of cultural, arts, and educational programming at the iconic Brand Library & Art Center. For over 50 years, the organization has created an enthusiastic membership base throughout Glendale and beyond to support an array of inclusive, diverse and free events such as music, dance, visual arts, film, special events, and talks for all ages. Founded in 1969, the organization aspires to continue growing the depth and diversity of programming at Brand, making it a place where the arts and community can truly connect. Support us today!

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ABOUT BRAND LIBRARY & ART CENTER

Brand Library & Art Center has been a cornerstone for the arts in Southern California since 1956. This unique public library focuses on visual arts and music and provides free services and programs for a diverse community, including a collection of over 110,000 items, subject specialist librarians, exhibitions, concerts, lectures, dance performances, films, and hands-on craft programs for children and adults. Always evolving, Brand Library & Art Center continues to develop innovative programs, services, and collections to serve an ever-widening public interested in the arts. Brand Library & Art Center is a branch of the City of Glendale Library, Arts & Culture Department.

@BrandLibrary #BrandLibrary

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ABOUT LIBRARY, ARTS & CULTURE

Founded in 1907, the Glendale Library, Arts & Culture Department includes eight neighborhood libraries including the Brand Library & Art Center, a regional visual arts and music library and performance venue housed in the historic 1904 mansion of Glendale pioneer Leslie C. Brand, and the Central Library, a 93,000 square foot center for individuals and groups to convene, collaborate and create. The department also serves as the chief liaison to the Glendale Arts & Culture Commission, which works to continually transform Glendale into an ever-evolving arts destination. Glendale Library, Arts & Culture is supported in part through the efforts of the Glendale Library Arts & Culture Trust (GLACT). For more information visit GlendaleLAC.org, or contact Library, Arts & Culture at (818) 548-2021 or via email at LibraryInfo@GlendaleCA.gov.

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ABOUT GLENDALE

Known as the "Jewel City," Glendale is the fourth largest city of Los Angeles County. With a population of more than 200,000, Glendale is a thriving cosmopolitan city that is rich in history, culturally diverse, and offers nearly 50 public parks, and easy access to a municipal airport. It is the home to a vibrant business community, with major companies in healthcare, entertainment, manufacturing, retail, and banking.