NARROWSBURG, NY — The iconic image of the clown is the basis for “Clownz: Comic Horror,” a group exhibition curated by Elizabeth Ennis and Joanna Hartell, opening with a reception on Friday, August 7 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Loft Gallery at the Delaware Arts Center.

This group show features 13 artists from the Catskills region, and a few guests who for different reasons have conspired, in their separate studios, to create art featuring clowns and clowning activities. Through both pop culture and high art, the artists portray the clown as the playful joker, jester, and fool as well as reflecting the clown as the terrifying icon it is in some pop culture. The show will also include clown-centered short films and videos, and the opening reception will feature live clowns to enhance the circus-like atmosphere.

“For me the clown is a symbolic representation, a sign of mankind gone awry,” says curator Hartell. “I find clowns funny, scary, sad and compelling. The caked makeup on the clown’s face and his clown-y overacting imply a sense of artifice. The work speaks of voyeurism, making the viewer a (sometimes) unwilling participant. And yet, clowns, whether creepy or silly, never fail to elicit an enthusiastic and even passionate reaction.”

The artists in this exhibit are Donald Almquist, Robyn Almquist, Claire Coleman, Guillermo Creus, Elizabeth Ennis, Joanna Hartell, Candis Heiland, James Karpowicz, Chris McArdle, Donnie Meyers, Marie Roberts, Michael Staats and Robin Winters.

The Loft Gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.