Michael A. Butler was selected as the Top Honors recipient in Guild Hall's 85th Artist Members Exhibition by Storm Ascher, this year's awards juror. The founder of Superposition Gallery and the Hamptons Black Arts Council, Ms. Ascher awarded Honorable mentions to Lilah Yektai, Ross Watts, Anita Giraldo, Raphael Ogoe, and Kenneth Jackson.
Mr. Butler, who is self-taught and describes himself as a "narrative folk artist," has been painting since the 1970s. Unlike outsider artists, who are also self-taught, he is knowledgeable about art and art history, has exhibited widely for more than 30 years, and for a time directed an art gallery in Sag Harbor. He draws for inspiration on mythology, religion, dreams, and stories he has heard, and has been known to document historical things of which there are no depictions.
Since its inception, the Artist Members Exhibition has supported artists and Guild Hall by offering the works on view for purchase, with proceeds split evenly between the two. Works in all forms of media, from painting to sculpture, can be found on Guild Hall’s Shopify page.
