Art of Tröegs Contest winner will be the star of new Troegs Gallery
In the middle of planning our new Splinter Cellar, we hit upon a wild idea: Why don’t we include a space to show off our love of art?
“After we come up with a new beer here at Tröegs, a really fun part for us is coming up with a name and artwork,” says brewery cofounder Chris Trogner. “We thought it would be nice to have a place where we could show off the art that bubbles up around the brewery, especially all the great work we get for the Art of Tröegs Contest.”
Get In On The Art Of Tröegs from Tröegs Independent Brewing on Vimeo.
It’s been 10 years since we launched the annual Art of Tröegs Contest. Back then, when we first challenged Tröegs fans to create something original out of our packaging, we didn’t know quite what to expect.
Then the artwork starting rolling in. We were floored. We’ve seen everything from giant paper mache hops to tiny toy motorcycles to murals fit for MOMA, and every year, the contest gets bigger and the entries get better.
Enter the art gallery. This summer, above our three beautiful new 23-foot oak aging tanks, we’re opening the Tröegs Gallery. Front and center at that opening will be the winner of the 2016 Art of Tröegs Contest.
Here’s the challenge: Take a piece of Tröegs – bottlecaps, cans, labels, whatever – and create a piece of art. It can be flat. It can be 3-dimensional. It can be anything you dream up. We’ll choose our favorite piece, and the winner will get $500 and a trip for two to the gallery opening.
To fuel the fires of creativity, we enlisted the help of a few of our favorite artists. From mosaic to mixed media to collage, each brought a unique approach to the challenge.
“I thought a lot about how to incorporate labels into a piece,” says Brooklyn collage artist Jay Riggio. “Then I just started cutting up DreamWeaver and came up with the idea to put a mask of wheat on this old Hollywood pinup. I ended up using dozens of those tiny stars from the label to give it some depth. There’s a lot going on there.”
Larger-than-life Philadelphia artist Isaiah Zagar found inspiration in his favorite medium.
“I put the beer caps in cement,” he says. “I love cement. And broken glass and broken plates. The key is just to take courage. Don’t worry about the results. Just take courage and go for it.”
Watch for other pieces from:
- Surrealist Boston glassblower Stephanie Chubbuck, who has a piece in the White House Art Collection
- Harrisburg found-object sculptor Jason Lyons, the epitome of “one man’s junk is another man’s treasure.”
- Award-winning sculptor, photographer and mixed-media artist Ryan Upp of Cleveland
Over the next month and a half, we’ll also be hosting dozens of Art of Tröegs parties at some of our favorite bars and restaurants. Join us to get your hands on a Tröegs coloring book, a pack of colored pencils and a generous helping of artistic inspiration.
So, we’re busy building the gallery. It’s time for you to get busy making some art. Submissions are due by May 14. For details on the contest and how to submit your work, visit troegs.com/art.
“There’s creativity everywhere that people don’t even realize they have,” says Riggio. “It’s just a matter of letting go of your inhibitions and trying something.”