2015 Spring Online Juried Show finalized in April. Award winners were announced
The 2015 Spring Online Juried Show was finalized on April 11, and award winners were announced.
Click here to view slideshow of finalists.
News from American Women Artists April 2015 |
#AWAnewnews Finalists Announced! Our members have been hard at work submitting their ideas for the title to AWA’s Newsletter Redesign – show your support and choose your favorite and post your vote on our Facebook page or tweet@AWAupdates! Don’t forget the #AWAnewnews when you vote between now and April 19. Remember the winner will be the first featured artist in our new monthly newsletter. 1. ArtBeat 2. ViewPoints 3. The Visionary 4. AWAre 5. Perspectives 6. Creative Perspective 7. TakeAWAys |
2015 Spring Online Juried Show is Finalized A diverse and exciting group of 98 works were selected from a field of almost 650 pieces – our jurors found the selection experience to be quite challenging, as there were so many excellent entries to review in the process to determine the finalists. A complete list of the accepted works and artists is available at www.americanwomenartists.org/news Thank you to all the Associate members who applied for our Spring Online Juried Show! AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED! Final works selected will appear on Online Gallery slideshow on the AWA website for a full year, and have been juried for awards by our Awards Juror, gallery owner and fine art expert, Robin Knowlton. Many thanks to Robin for her thoughtful selections and her help. Congratulations to the following for their outstanding work: GRAND PRIZE 2D – Great Egret, acrylic by Ellen Fuller GRAND PRIZE 3D – Black Bull, bronze by HR Kaiser SECOND PLACE – Lillian, oil by Katherine Galbraith THIRD PLACE – Radiate, oil by Kristy Gordon AWARDS OF MERIT went to: Minnie on Board-oil by Vicki Catapano, Evening Commute-oil by Julie Davis, Freedom-oil byGaetanne Lavoie, Let There be Light-oil by Cathryne Trachok, Lily Pond with Iris-pastel w/ink and gouache by Enid Wood, Cold and Bright-pastel by Elaine Lierly Jones, Cranberries-oil by Sharon Hourigan, Jesse’s Pears-oil by Ann Kraft Walker, What’s Up-bronze by Georgene McGonagle, King of Jesters-fired ceramic byLori Pandy AWA is Grateful to our Show Sponsors AWA thanks this year’s sponsors of prizes for our award winners in the 2015 Spring Online Juried Competition. |
Associate Members – Get Ready for the 2015 National Juried Competition Application Process Opens on April 20 through Juried Art Services Deadline to Apply: June 28, 2015 AWA encourages all current Associate members to apply for the 2015 National Juried Competition, now in its 18th year. Approximately 60 pieces of work will be chosen as the finalists to be exhibited in AWA’s 2015 National Juried Competition Exhibition alongside the Annual Master & Signature Member Show at Bonner David Galleries in Scottsdale, Arizona from November 12-30, 2015. Remember you must be a current Associate member for 2015 to be eligible to apply – to verify membership on our current Associate members list, click here. To find out how to complete your renewal for 2015, email Diane Swanson at contact@americanwomenartists.org. Master Signature and Signature Show Guidelines Coming Soon! The show guidelines for the Annual Master & Signature Member Show at Bonner David Galleries in Scottsdale will be sent to all Masters and Signatures by early May, along with hotel room info, event schedules, advertising opportunities and other exciting news about AWA’s exhibit and events in Scottsdale November 9-14. |
Bella Muse Gallery: ![]() for Elizabeth Robbins and Shanna Kunz When Master Signature member Elizabeth Robbins and her neighbor Painter Shanna Kunz imagined the perfect studio space they might one day share they spoke in specific details. “We knew what we wanted right down to it being on 25th Street in Ogden, Utah,” says Robbins. Neither Kunz or Robbins expected a large, well-lit retail space to open up on that very street three weeks later. “When we saw it we said to ourselves ‘this is not just perfect for a studio but also a gallery,'” says Robbins.
Though they women had never intended to open a gallery they were inspired by the idea of creating a space for workshops and events, a place where they could educate the community about art. They called the gallery Bella Muse and are currently only representing a small group of artists. Currently Bella Muse Gallery is focused on producing compelling group shows that introduce artists to the community. One way that Kunz and Robbins are reaching out to their community is by opening up their studio space for demos and workshops, allowing people to come into the gallery space and see the artists working. In fact, on most days Robbins and Kunz can be found in the gallery with a work in progress. “It is fascinating for people to come in and see an artist at work, to have someone put down a paint brush and help them purchase a painting,” says Robbins. While Robbins has owned her own business before, transitioning from artists to gallery owners has been it’s own education for Kunz and Robbins. “I have new respect for gallery owners and how hard they work. We really didn’t anticipate adding another full-time job to the full-time job as artists we already had,” says Robbins. With her gallery owner hat on, Robbins has some advice for working with galleries.
“Don’t send any art to a gallery without a consignment slip,” she warns. “Value your work enough to include your name, a short biography, the exact size and dimensions of your piece, and don’t be afraid to tell them how much your art is worth. Be proud of your work!” The most common mistake Robbins has noticed is poor framing. According to Robbins a cheap frame on a painting is the quickest way to devalue a painting in the eyes of a gallery owner or collector. While Robbins admits that opening a gallery wasn’t something planned, she and Kunz are thoroughly enjoying their new venture. “Being an artist is so solitary sometimes, but working in the gallery forces you to take a break and step back from the work,” says Robbins. “We have never worked this hard in our lives, but we are having a blast.” |
Letter from the President: Support AWA with a SMILE! If you shop with Amazon, you can now support AWA at no additional cost to you. Just set your browser for smile.amazon.com instead of Amazon.com. You’ll find the exact same prices, selection and shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to American Women Artists! Here’s how:
The hardest part about the whole process is remembering to shop from thesmile.amazon.com page instead of your regular Amazon app or bookmark. Otherwise, there’s nothing to it – and tell your friends because when you smile, the whole world smiles with you. Thank you!
Kathrine Lemke Waste President, American Women Artists |