“SUN SPOT”: Tiffany Fang of Princeton won Best in Show for this graphite-on-paper work at the 2020 Mercer County Artists Exhibit, hosted by The Gallery at Mercer County Community College. The show was held virtually this year.

Tiffany Fang of Princeton took home Best in Show at the 2020 Mercer County Artists Exhibit, hosted by The Gallery at Mercer County Community College (MCCC) on Thursday, October 29, for her graphite-on-paper piece, Sun Spot. The show was held virtually using online conferencing.

Another notable winner was MCCC alumna and 2019 Best in Show awardee Megan Serfass of Princeton Junction for her oil on canvas piece, Glitch.

The exhibition, an outgrowth of a partnership between the college and the Mercer County Cultural and Heritage Commission dating back to the mid-1990s, accepted 27 pieces from 21 artists. The show was organized by Gallery Director Alice K. Thompson, juried by Colleen McCubbin Stepanic, a mixed media artist, and sponsored by Blick Art Materials.

According to Thompson, it was initially feared that the exhibit would be one of the many events canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. “We decided to forge ahead and celebrate the arts at a time when we arguably need it most,” Thompson said.

McCubbin was appreciative of the flexibility of the artists and the Gallery to put on a virtual awards presentation, as well as the sense of intimacy the works created when displayed together.

“The awarded works spoke to me, on some level, of the isolation and disorientation of our current moment,” said McCubbin. “Sun Spot’s quiet, intimate pencil marks drew me repeatedly to consider the upside of isolation.”

She added, [Janet Purcell’s] “The Moment in Time’s playful vignette is also a reminder of our detrimental isolation from our environment. And the fractured perspective of Glitch is a reminder of our mental state when isolation turns on us.”

The show’s full list of winners includes Skull Drawing (Conte’ crayon on paper) by Larry Chestnut of Hamilton; Bahamian Magic (oil on board mounted canvas) by Carlo Fiorentini of Princeton; Dialogue 2 (acrylic) by Shahla Mansouri of Hamilton; Autumn Starfish (acrylic on canvas) by William Plank of Lawrenceville; Hippo (automotive paint on Masonite) by Megan Uhaze of Hamilton; Sun Spot (graphite on paper) by Tiffany Fang of Princeton; The Moment in Time (mixed media) by Janet Purcell of East Windsor; Glitch (oil on canvas) by MCCC alumna Megan Serfass of Princeton Junction; and Rooted (digital art on paper), a self-portrait by Danielle Rackowski of Hamilton.

The Gallery at Mercer County Community College (MCCC) is funded by Mercer County Community College with additional support through a grant from the Mercer County Cultural and Heritage Commission. All events are free and open to the public. For more information, email gallery@mccc.edu.