NEW YORK, NY.- ARC Select, an exciting special exhibition, is set to open today, April 4th, at New York’s Rehs Contemporary. In partnership with the non-profit Art Renewal Center, ARC Select features eight of today’s finest contemporary artists. Located in the heart of midtown, just off Fifth Avenue, the gallery invites art lovers and collectors to join them in celebration of these stellar works and their creators.

The exhibition opening will take place on Thursday night, April 4th, from 5 – 8 PM, and will remain on view through May 3rd, 2024. This year marks the fifth edition of ARC Select hosted by Rehs Contemporary, though this will be the first since they’ve moved to their new, spacious gallery on West 55th Street. Additionally, this will be the first time their exhibition will include award-winning works from the most recent ARC Salon, one of the largest and most prestigious realist art competitions in the world.

For too long, “academic art” has been synonymous with “traditional art,” but this exhibition is evident that that’s not the case. Academic artists possess the same faculties as any other when it comes to pushing boundaries – their imagination. To that point, artists like Mike Wimmer and Dan Chudzinski bring an other-worldly element to the mix.

Wimmer, an illustrator and art professor at SCAD, has contributed a series of ‘Enchanted Art’. Through the works, we embark on a journey into magical realms inhabited by fairies and gnomes. In one particular work, An Acorn Scurry, we find ourselves as spectators of an intimate moment on the forest floor – a fortunate gnome with a cart full of acorns crosses paths with some young squirrels. In this whimsical encounter, the small gnome reaches out gleefully with an offering to his new friend… but aside from the playful nature of the subject, it is impossible to ignore the quality of the work itself. Wimmer’s use of texture and light can only be described as a true mastery of his craft.

Similarly, Chudzinski’s work explores imaginative creatures, and in some cases, makes us question our reality. The sculptor’s newest creations give rise to his Reliquary Series, which investigates and is a tribute to mythical beings in the likes of vampires, unicorns and dragons. The dragon inspired piece, titled The Reliquary of St. George, stands at over six feet tall and features a monstrous skull impaled atop a spike. Towering from the skull are two long horns, while tusk-like fangs protrude from a beak-tipped mouth – it is truly a mesmerizing and confounding sight. Yet again, while the work is profoundly imaginative, the detail and execution of its creation is perhaps even more impressive.

In a very different, but equally captivating way, artist Margo Selski draws us into her surreal compositions. Her works have a strangely beautiful feel – fanciful human characters harmoniously alongside animal companions. Perhaps that is too simplistic of a description, but words truly cannot do justice to these paintings; they need to be seen to be fully appreciated. One of her largest on view is Summer Goddess. Inspired by nature, the artist notes how “being enveloped by the lush green forest and the buzzing insects fed my soul with awe and gratitude.”

The full roster of participating artists extends to Greg Hildebrandt, Shana Levenson, Tina Spratt, Allen Douglas, and Christine Porter Lofaro. Each brings a unique aesthetic style and feel, creating a diverse presentation while maintaining the highest quality of work. This is surely an exhibit not to be missed!