Viridian Artists is pleased to present "Selfies & Self-Portraits: 21st C Artists See Themselves", which extends from September 5 through September 30, 2017. The opening reception will be on Thursday, September 7, 6-8PM with a book signing by Ann Z. Leventhal.

Artists have been creating self-portraits since the beginning of time, but now with cell phone cameras, the selfie has become the ubiquitous portrayal of self. The selfie has become today's self-portrait, but does it go beyond being just a likeness of the self which the artist has created or is it self-indulgence?

What is a self-portrait? What meanings does it encompass? How honest is reality or an artists' interpretation, even with a media so direct as the iPhone? Couldn't it just be the moment and an arbitrary decision to snap the shutter or be based on the composition of shapes in the image? Is it photography in the same way as our trusty old 35mm cameras performed? Is it more truthful than a brush and paint with a mirror nearby? What is art? What is reality?

Viridian has invited guest artists, as well as its usual entourage, to create and show images they feel represent themselves. Artists were invited to send us a "selfie", aka 21st C self-portrait and to create their selfie in the form of an art object in any media they desired, all the while, thinking about who they are/ what inspires and what motivates them. Or just to do an old-fashioned self-portrait!

Some are outrageous, some political, some as classical as Durer, Rembrandt, but with a twist. Today's self-portraiture, because of a thousand reasons, has become more diverse and more conceptual. How we see artists from the past may have to do more with their self-portrayals than documents in their archives. But how we see artists today via their self-image is a whole new conundrum.

On the last Thursday evening of the exhibit, September 28th, there will be an evening of portrait drawing. All interested are invited to bring their drawing pads & materials to create self- portraits or portraits of each other. Guests are invited to pose for portraits which can be traded or paid for at the rate of $1 a minute. Come between 6-8PM and participate or just observe. A good time is guaranteed for all! The exhibition continues until Saturday, September 30th.