Calls by coordinator Fred Enge for abstract artists have drawn a large response, with over three dozen would-be participants indicating their work will appear in Orcas Center’s main gallery show in September. The large number was a surprise to Enge, and indicated that the abstract discipline may have more active practitioners on our island than supposed.

The exhibition, “ENIGMA et al,” will open with a reception for the artists on Friday, Sept. 5, beginning at 5:30 p.m. The show encompasses all the visual media, from painting and drawing through print-making, photography and sculpture. The list of participants contains some surprises, including the names of some very familiar (and very popular) local artists who have heretofore not been identified with abstraction. This will be the first group show in Center history to limit itself to the abstract discipline and, as Enge promises, seeks to explore equally both the fun and the mystery of abstract art.