Neddy at Cornish

The Neddy at Cornish announces the recipients of the $25,000 Neddy at Cornish 2012 Award.

The Neddy at Cornish is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2012 Neddy at Cornish art awards: Stacey Rozich (Painting) and Eirik Johnson (Open Medium). Both artists will receive an unrestricted grant of $25,000 and will be featured in the Neddy at Cornish exhibition along with the additional six finalists.

Rozich creates a dialogue in her paintings to illustrate how cultural folktales affect and manifest themselves in contemporary society. Johnson’s work in photography addresses the intersections of environmental, social and economic issues, which reflect connections between communities and the surrounding natural world.

The awardees were chosen by Ian Berry, Associate Director for Curatorial Affairs and Curator at The Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY. A specialist in contemporary art, Berry has organized numerous groundbreaking exhibits, and continues a deep engagement with teaching and writing. Berry visited Seattle April 19-23 to conduct studio visits with each of the finalists. In reporting his choices, Berry said the two recipients “had a clarity to their current and proposed projects and inspiring collaborative elements to their work that connect them to ideas of community in important ways.”

More information about the 2012 recipients can be found on their websites:
blog.staceyrozich.com
www.eirikjohnson.com

The Neddy at Cornish Exhibition will take place in the Main Gallery at Cornish College of the Arts. Included in the show will be the work of all 2012 finalists, including: Gala Bent, Cynthia Camlin, and Jeremy Mangan in Painting; and Susie Lee, Lead Pencil Studio, and James Coupe in Open Medium.

June 6 – July 18, 2012
Opening Reception: June 6, 5 – 8 pm
1000 Lenora Street, 1st Floor
Gallery Hours 12 – 5, Mon – Sat

Please contact Karen L. Bystrom or Lindsay Walter with any press inquiries (see information above) or visit http://www.cornish.edu. For additional information regarding the Neddy at Cornish program, please contact Ellen Ito, Neddy at Cornish Program Assistant at 206-726-5116 or email at eito@cornish.edu.

Neddy at Cornish

The Neddy at Cornish is an annual artist award program supported by the Behnke Foundation and housed at Cornish College of the Arts in memory of Robert E. (“Ned”) Behnke and in celebration of his life as an artist. Each year, two $25,000 unrestricted awards are given—one in painting and one in any medium or combination of media grounded in the visual arts—to artists living and working in the greater Puget Sound region. Six finalists will also receive $1,000 and will be included in a group exhibition each June.

History

Ned Behnke was a beloved member of the Behnke Family and a renowned and talented painter. Ned had a passion for the arts that extended beyond his own work. He appreciated the myriad forms that art takes and the way in which art can foster a conscious, vital and more livable world.

After Ned’s untimely death, Shari D. Behnke founded the Neddy in 1996 as a way to honor both his legacy as a visual artist and his deep connection to the Seattle art community. Under the auspices of the Behnke Foundation, the Neddy has become one of the most important art awards in Seattle. The artists who have been recognized have a unique vision and a strong passion for their art as well as for the transformative potential of art to enliven and enrich the world in which they live and practice.

In 2011, the Behnke Foundation transferred the program to Cornish College of the Arts to house and administer the Neddy at Cornish artist award program. Building on the history Ned shared with the College and on the shared commitment of the Foundation and the College to invigorate and sustain communities through art, the Neddy at Cornish program will continue to make two substantial and unrestricted awards to Seattle artists each year. To assist the College, an advisory board of regional arts professionals will offer their external perspective and expertise. For more information on the history of the Neddy awards, visit the Behnke Foundation.

Award Criteria

There are two Neddy awards each year. Recipients will demonstrate artistic distinction through an established body of work and a commitment to their practice. In honor of Ned and his passion for painting, one Neddy celebrates artists that continue to innovate through this traditional medium. Reflecting the ever-increasing possibilities in contemporary art practices, one Neddy honors artists that work in any medium or combination of media grounded in the visual arts.

Ned Behnke embodied Cornish College of the Art’s mission of developing artists as citizens—individuals who create outstanding artwork with an applied consciousness of responsibility to society. As the awards honor Ned’s legacy, Neddy recipients will reflect and embody his belief in the power of art and artists to be positive forces in our world. The criteria for both awards are:

1. Demonstrated commitment to and ongoing development of one’s artistic vision.
2. Demonstrated engagement with the world around them through their art practice, broadly understood.

See the application guidelines for more information on eligibility and award process.

Timeline

• February 3, 2012: Open call application deadline
• March 15 – 30, 2012: Artists notified of finalist status
• April 2012: Studio visits with final juror.
• May 2012: Announcements of awardees
• June – July 2012: The Neddy at Cornish exhibition
• September 2012 – May 2013: Supporting programming, to be developed with the two 2012 awardees

The 2012 Neddy at Cornish Program

The Neddy at Cornish program offers unrestricted $25,000 awards to artists who demonstrate a distinctive artistic practice or perspective and who engage with the community at large. To deepen the impact of these awards, Cornish College of the Arts is excited to undertake a year-long series of events and activities to honor and support the work of the recipients, and will, where feasible, make physical resources available to the artists.

After an initial conversation with program staff, and depending on their interests and availability, the two 2012 Neddy at Cornish artists can elect to suggest or develop programs themselves, or can rely on program staff to shape events that reflect and highlight the awardees’ areas of artistic endeavor. Programming possibilities include, but are not limited to artist talks, studio visits, student critiques, panel discussions, or additional exhibitions. In addition to these programs and the annual exhibition, the College will host an annual Robert E. “Ned” Behnke Lecture, inviting an artist or scholar of stature to the campus for a talk and discussion of timely issues relevant to the mission of the Neddy at Cornish program.

Finalists will be selected by an external group of three regional arts professionals. A juror from outside the region will select the two Neddy artists for the year. Neddy at Cornish program staff members and their immediate family are not eligible to apply for an award, serve as an advisor, or serve as a selection committee member or final juror.

Top image:
Easter Lily by Ned Behnke. Enamel on steel; 42”x50”; 1985. Collection of: Mr. & Mrs. Gerard Schwarz

Side image:
untitled, 1985 by Ned Behnke

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