This year’s exhibit affords members the opportunity to confront their worst fears.  According to surveys, some of the most common fears are of ghosts, the existence of evil powers, cockroaches, spiders, snakes, heights, water, enclosed spaces, tunnels and bridges, needles, social rejection, failure, examinations, public speaking, and in our world a blank canvas and of course deadlines.

This exhibition was founded by Ned Glattauer and George Wilson. They created OUR OWN SHOW, now known as Members Open, which has grown into a respected annual event at the Society of Illustrators. Ned and George were honored by the Board of Directors in 2000 with the Dean Cornwell Recognition Award. George was honored posthumously. 

 

Jason Raish

Each year the Society honors the top illustration with the Stevan Dohanos Award, named after the Federal office muralist and American realist painter.  Dohanos also illustrated covers for The Saturday Evening Post among other magazines. He created over 40 United States postal stamps as well as many Easter Seal stamps and was the designer for the Citizen Stamp Advisory Committee.  President of the Society from 1961 until 1963, Mr.Dohanos was elected to the Illustrators Hall of Fame in 1971.  This year's Stevan Dohanos Award recipient is Jason Raish for his piece Fear of Crossing Bridges.

Special thanks to this year's Members Open Chairmen Guy Billout, and the jury including Dennis Calero, Joe Ciardiello, Leslie Cober-Gentry and Kinuko Craft.

 

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