By Anne White
The Greenwich Art Society’s first online juried exhibition, “In Plain Sight,” opened March 9 and will remain on view through April 10, presenting a selection of contemporary works that explore a deceptively simple idea: the things most visible in everyday life are often the least noticed.
The exhibition is presented entirely online and can be viewed at the Greenwich Art Society’s digital gallery: [https://www.greenwichartsociety.org/online-gallery2026].
The format allows the organization to assemble artists working across multiple media and locations while maintaining a unified conceptual framework. The premise invites artists to examine objects, gestures, systems, and conditions that exist openly but slip past attention because familiarity dulls perception.
Juror Margaret Vega, director of Atlantic Gallery in New York and professor emeritus at Kendall College of Art and Design, approached the submissions with a curator’s concern for both individual merit and the larger conversation formed by the works together.
“The selection process for this exhibition, In Plain Sight, was both rigorous and rewarding,” Vega writes in her juror statement.
“The breadth of submissions reflected a wide range of approaches, conceptual dialog, and material explorations, making the task of narrowing the field both challenging and deeply engaging.” That breadth is central to the exhibition’s effect. Contemporary artists today approach the visible world through divergent methods— some analytic, some poetic, some rooted in material experimentation. Vega’s selections emphasize work in which concept and form operate together rather than in competition.
“In reviewing the work, I prioritized pieces that demonstrated a strong synthesis of concept and execution—where intention and form were in clear symphony,” Vega writes. “The most compelling works moved beyond technical proficiency to offer a distinct visual language, one that felt both personal and universal.”
The exhibition’s theme encourages a particular attentiveness. Rather than presenting extraordinary or unfamiliar subjects, the works focus on what might otherwise pass unnoticed. Familiar forms, commonplace objects, and subtle gestures become points of investigation.
“I was particularly drawn to artists who embraced whether through use of materials, unexpected composition, or thematic investigation, the nuances that are often normalized or overlooked, asking us to pause and engage,” Vega writes.
Such attention to nuance gives the exhibition its coherence. Although the selected works vary in medium and visual strategy, the juror treated the show as a collective statement rather than a simple list of winners.
“Cohesion was also a guiding consideration,” Vega explains. “While each selected work stands independently, together they form a dynamic conversation—one that reflects both the diversity of contemporary practice and the shared concerns that connect us as artists.”
Certain motifs recur across the exhibition, creating subtle points of connection between works that might otherwise appear unrelated.
“Tension, vulnerability, focal points, transformation, and the reimagining of familiar forms emerged as subtle touchstones across the exhibition,” Vega writes.
Juried exhibitions inevitably involve difficult exclusions, and Vega acknowledges that the final group represents both individual excellence and curatorial balance.
“It is important to acknowledge that many strong works could not be included,” she writes. “The final selection reflects not only individual merit, but also curatorial balance and the interaction created among the pieces as a body of work inspired by the concept of ‘too visible to be seen.’”
The phrase captures the exhibition’s central paradox. Visibility does not guarantee recognition. In many cases, the familiar fades into the background until an artist reframes it.
Vega closes her statement by recognizing the broader community that makes such exhibitions possible.
“I would like to express my sincere appreciation to all artists who submitted their work,” she writes. “Their commitment to their practice and engagement with the public is what sustains and enriches the contemporary art sphere.”
The exhibition In Plain Sight can be viewed online through April 10 at the Greenwich Art Society’s digital gallery.
