When Susan Twomey, Executive Director, Buchanan Center for the Arts, contacted me about jurying 2012′s 64 Arts invitational I said I would be happy to do so with one caveat; she had to require all applicants to submit works along the thematic lines established by the America Now and Here project. Those themes are “America as Place”, “America as Icon” and “America as People”.
The response was phenomenal. High quality, energetic, thoughtful, provocative, insightful and in many cases, witty works of art were submitted for consideration from all around the country. Painting, sculpture, mixed media, ceramics and photography were the five categories represented and out of all the submissions I selected one hundred and thirty-two pieces by seventy-two artists.
Check out all the artists’ works here.
I was also tasked with giving cash awards as well. Listed below are the six artists who received them.
Blick Art Materials Mixed Media Award:
Susan Heggestad from Vermillion, South Dakota for “Tenuous”
OSF Family Medical Center Painting Award:
Tracy Deer from Jersey City, New Jersey for “Bunny Hop”
Eleanor Inness Mieth Works on Paper Award:
Kristin Powers Nowlin from Cape Girardeau, Missouri for “The Land of Romance: Behind the Curtains”
Blick Art Materials Sculpture Award:
Jason Ackman from Rushville, Illinois for “Early On”
64 Arts Ceramics Award:
Sharon Harper from Springfield, Missouri for “Stack”
Mary Jane Twomey Best of Show:
Jennifer Cronin from Chicago, Illinois for “Untitled #1 (A New Set of Worries)
64 Arts Photography Award
Thomas Jackson from Cedar Rapids, IA for American Slice 26″
–Eric Fischl
