2-D and 3-D Fine Art Media
Artists 18 and Older in the US
Over $2000 in Prize Money

Juror Alejo Benedetti
from the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas

Award Reception: July 23 • 6-7:30 pm
Exhibit: June 29 – July 24

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BEST of SHOW • $600
1st Place • $350
2nd Place • $250
3rd Place • $150
Honorable Mention • $50
Peoples’ Choice • $100
Purchase Award • $600
PURCHASE AWARD
One piece from the competition will be purchased for SAAC’s permanent art collection. The Annual Purchase Award is made possible through an endowment from the family of Wilma Riley in memory of her commitment to the arts, her community, and SAAC.

Juror Alejo Benedetti, assistant curator at Crystal Bridges, selected a total of 52 pieces created by 41 artists from around the country to be included in the exhibit. Artists with accepted entries are:

Jessica Bingham Peoria, Illinois
Lance BogeNYC, New York
Heather Brammeier Peoria, Illinois
Martha Briana Makanda, Illinois
Aaron CalvertArkadelphia, Arkansas
Daniel CassityHot Springs, Arkansas
Gary Cawood Little Rock, Arkansas
Ronnie CramerDenver, Colorado
Jeff DanosEureka Springs, Arkansas
Myles Dunigan Lawrence, Kansas
Richard EnsorWesley Chapel, Florida
Victoria Trespando EscobioTampa, Florida
Jamie Espino Fort Smith, Arkansas
DebiLynn FendleyArkadelphia, Arkansas
Joelle Ford Lawrence, Kansas
Houston Fryer San Antonio, Texas
Jaime Gaiti Portland, Maine
Jenie Gao Madison, Wisconsin
Manuel Gonzales Lubbock, Texas
Sofia Gonzalez Little Rock, Arkansas
Tim Hahn Augusta, Missouri
Mary Hardy Ocean Springs, Mississippi
Sharon Harper Springfield, Missouri
Julie Isom Conway, Arkansas
Scott Lykens Monticello, Arkansas
Miguel Machado Austin, Texas
Tim McCourt Mississippi State, Mississippi
Moises Menendez Magnolia, Arkansas
Jeremy Newton Waco, Texas
Ray Ogar Little Rock, Arkansas
Cetin “Chet” Oguz Cleveland, Mississippi
Jana C. Perez Denton, Texas
Gail Postal New York, New York
Spencer Purinton El Dorado, Arkansas
Alexander Puz Maspeth, New York
Suzanne Sidebottom New Albany, Indiana
Erin Smego Chicago, Illinois
Michael Stanley Cleveland, Mississippi
R. Gregory Summers Overland Park, Kansas
Angilee Wilkerson Denton, Texas
Marjorie Williams-Smith Little Rock, Arkansas
Terry Wright Little Rock, Arkansas

Crystal-Bridges-imageAlejo Benedetti is a curatorial assistant at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. Benedetti’s research has focused on Contemporary art in the United States over the past 50 years with a particular emphasis on art of the West Coast since the 1980s. He has examined the artwork of Mike Kelley and Jim Shaw and how their works blur the barriers between the traditional art world and the world of comics.

At Crystal Bridges, he has assisted Curator Chad Alligood with the development of the 1940s to Now portion of the collection while also assisting with the traveling version of State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now. This exhibition, which first opened at Crystal Bridges in 2014, included over 102 artists, featured 227 works, and covered 19,000 square feet of exhibition space. The exhibition is currently traveling to other venues around the country in two different versions touring simultaneously.

Benedetti is a Texas native who earned his bachelor of arts in Art History and a bachelor of fine arts in Studio Art from the University of Missouri, Columbia, and his master’s degree in Art History from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. While completing his degree at TCU, he worked as a curatorial intern at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, assisting with the exhibition Framing Desire: Photography and Video. While in Fort Worth, he also served as an art critic for Glasstire: Journal of Visual Art in Texas. As a critic, he reviewed contemporary exhibitions occurring at museums and galleries across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.

Notifications Announced • June 1
Accepted Works Delivered • June 21
Opening • June 29
Reception • July 23 • 6-7:30 pm
Last Day of Exhibit • July 24
Artists Pick-up Work • August 1
Shipped Art Returned • August 2
For more information or assistance contact the South Arkansas Arts Center at:
870-862-5474 or e-mail [email protected]

 

 

From digital to traditional art – come and see all the gorgeous work from around the country!