Eight artists have been selected as finalists for The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards, a juried art competition and exhibition produced by the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District.
The work of the eight finalists will be on display from Sept. 2 to Oct. 3, in downtown Bethesda at the Fraser Gallery, located at 7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite E.
The prize winners will be announced and honored on Wednesday, Sept. 2 at a press event held at the Fraser Gallery. The Best in Show winner will be awarded $10,000; second place will be honored with $2,000 and third place will be awarded $1,000. A "Young Artist" whose birth date is after April 20, 1979 will also be awarded $1,000.
A public reception will be held on Friday, Sept. 11 from 6-9 p.m. in conjunction with the Bethesda Art Walk. The Fraser Gallery is open Tuesday - Saturday from 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
The artists selected as finalists are:
Ruth Bolduan, Richmond, VA
Greg Minah, Baltimore, MD
Laure Drogoul, Baltimore, MD
Leslie Shellow, Baltimore, MD
Hannah Kim, Falls Church, VA
Molly Springfield, Washington, D.C.
Jessie Lehson, Baltimore, MD
René Treviño, Baltimore, MD
Entries were juried by Doreen Bolger, director of The Baltimore Museum of Art; Kevin Everson, Associate Professor at the University of Virginia and Joanna Marsh, The James Dicke Curator of Contemporary Art at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards was established by Carol Trawick in 2003 to honor the work of local artists. The Trawick Prize is one of the first regional competitions and largest prizes to annually honor visual artists. To date, The Trawick Prize has awarded more than $98,000 in prize monies and has received over 2,700 artist submissions. Founder Carol Trawick has served as a community activist for more than 25 years in downtown Bethesda; including working on legislation to designate communities in Maryland as Arts & Entertainment Districts. Additionally, she is past Chair of the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District, past Chair of the Bethesda Urban Partnership, current Chair of Strathmore and Founder of the Jim and Carol Trawick Foundation. Visit www.bethesda.org or call 301-215-6660.