Finalists Announced For 2011 Trawick Prize

The envelope, please. Eleven finalists have been announced for the 2011 Trawick Prize, and the lucky winners of the regional visual art competition will be awarded $14,000 in prize money.

Established in 2003 by Bethesda community activist and philanthropist Carol Trawick, the Trawick Prize has awarded over $112,000 and has exhibited the work of over 90 visual artists since its inception, according to a new release. The work of this years’ finalists will be shown during a group exhibition Sept. 1- 30 at Bethesda’s

Competition winners will be announced Sept. 1, and a public opening reception is set for 6-9p.m. Sept. 9  in conjunction with

The finalists are:

• Lillian Bayely Hoover, of Baltimore
• Ryan Browning, of Frederick, Md.
• Caryl Burtner, of Richmond
• Warren Craghead III, of Charlottesville, Va.
• Adam Davies, of Washington, D.C.
• Mia Feuer, of Washington, D.C.
• Skye Gilkerson, of Baltimore
• Michelle Rogers, of Alexandria, Va.
• Sofia Silva, of Baltimore
• Marty Weishaar, of Baltimore
• Lu Zhang, of Baltimore

$10,000 will go to the first-place winner; $2,000 will go to the second-place winner and $1,000 will be awarded to the third-place winner. A young artist may also be honored with an additional prize of $1,000.

The 2011 Trawick Prize jury includes Virginia Commonwealth University sculpture department chair Amy Hauft, Sarah Newman, curator of contemporary art at Washington’s the Corcoran, and Sue Spaid, executive director of Baltimore’s Contemporary Museum. The Trawick Prize  is “one of the first regional competitions and largest prizes to annually honor visual artists,” according to the BUP statement.

You can check out the work of the finalists at the Artery Plaza Gallery, 7200 Wisconsin Avenue, throughout the month of September. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday, noon through 6p.m.