Award Winners Announced at Rowayton Arts Center

Photos: Focus Under Forty Winners- Margaret Kraus, Lucy Shaiken, Jon Puzzuoli, Joseph Dermody, Keelin O'Reilly

Paint Rowayton: Exhibition Chair and Board Member Eunice Roy and Lesley Concannon

Joseph Dermody (Greenwich) wins Best in Show - a second time in a row - at the Rowayton Arts Center! At Sunday’s opening reception for Focus Under Forty, Joseph Dermody was awarded the top honor for his acrylic painting, “Vortex.” Eleanor Flatow, an independent art consultant and former co-director of the Carriage Barn Arts Center, selected 16 winners from over 200 entries. Focus Under Forty was an Open Call for artists ages 16 through 39 with no restrictions for media or theme. Exhibition Chair is Board Member Joanna Bridges (Darien) and Co-Chair Megan Garbe (Norwalk).

In the Portside Gallery, the Plein Air exhibition - Paint Rowayton - runs concurrently with Focus Under Forty. Exhibition Chairs are Eunice Roy and Yuko Ike. NCC Adjunct Professor and Exhibition Judge, Steve DiGiovanni, selected the oil painting by Lesley Concannon (Wilton) Best in Show. Both exhibitions will be in the gallery until Sunday, June 24. Gallery hours are Tues – Sat (11-5pm), Sun (11am-2pm).

Other Focus Under Forty award winners include:

Acrylic- 1st Prize- Cynthia Hernandez (Stamford) Evaporation

2nd Prize- Lucy Shaiken (Storrs, CT) Stearns Road 1

Oil– 1st Prize- Lucy Armstrong (Darien, CT) Dual Nature

Alternative Photography/ B&W Photography–

1st Prize- Cam Gould (Monroe, CT) Reaching Out

Color Photography– 1st Prize- Kerry Long (Trumbull, CT) Fog

2nd Prize- Margaret Kraus (Norwalk) Orange Balloon

3rd Prize- Amit Chernichaw (Darien, CT) Joy

Honorable Mention- Kasey Seymour (Baltimore, MD) Forever Fall

Mixed Media– 1st Prize- Keelin O’ Reilly (New Haven, Ct) Boat Lily

2nd Prize- Jill Teitsworth (Brooklyn, NY) Garbage Folks #2

Honorable Mention- Aaron Internet (Bridgeport, CT) Human Contact

Drawings, Pastels and Printmaking–1st Prize- Sarah Donovan (Norwalk, CT) The Fates

Sculpture– 1st Prize- Nadia Yaron (Brooklyn, NY) Finding Balance

2nd Prize- Jon Puzzuoli (Norwalk, CT) Father and Son I

Watercolor– 1st Prize- Shashi Raghunandan (Old Greenwich, CT) Sun on Rocks

For almost 60 years, the Rowayton Arts Center has been a cultural gem in the community. It is an exceptional gallery where regional artists may exhibit and sell their art as well as a wonderful venue for art workshops and classes. The Art School offers classes to children and adults at all levels. The RAC Gallery and Art School are located on the bank of the scenic Five Mile River in Rowayton, CT at 145 Rowayton Avenue. For more information: www.rowaytonarts.org