Great art can be a feast for the eyes. Fans of the Portland Art Museum’s Contemporary Northwest Art Awards are eagerly awaiting the banquent after the selection of 28 finalists earlier this month.
The 2013 CNAAs, hosted by the museum, will recognize the work of three to seven people chosen from the Western U.S. region, from Oregon to Montana. The selected artists are believed to exemplify raw, cutting edge, artistry.
The finalists were selected from a total of 239 applicants and screened by recognized art professionals, including Bonnie Laing-Malcolmson (the Arlene and Harold Schnitzer curator of Northwest art) and Apsara DiQuinzio, curator and art director of the Berkeley Art Museum.
Finalists for the CNAAs are nominated by critics, professors, mentors and employers based on “the quality of their work, innovation, relevance to community or global issues in the arts, continuity of vision, commitment to their practice and level of development in their career,” according to the museum’s website.
Although the CNAAs only nominate professional-level artists, the awards strive to recognize previously unknown Pacific Northwesterners in the offbeat spirit of Portland.
Medium does not determine nomination. Electronic and graphic art, crafting such as
pottery and sculpture, and paintings in every style will be represented at the awards.
Now that the finalists have been selected, it is time for Laing-Malcolmson and DiQuinzio to visit the artists’ studios, and examine their creative processes and the bulk of their work. From these visits, recommendations will be made to the review board.
The winners will be announced January 2013 and will receive a cash prize of up to $10,000, a place in one of the museum’s special exhibition galleries, professional level programming and a thick, full-color catalogue.
Portland Art Museum and the Arlene and Howard Schnitzer Endowments for Northwest Art present
The 2013 Contemporary Northwest Art Awards
January 2013
Portland Art Museum
1219 SW Park Ave.