Finalists Named In Bethesda Area Art Awards

BETHESDA-CHEVY CHASE, MD - From the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District: The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District and the Bethesda Urban Partnership will showcase the work of The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards eight finalists in a group exhibition. The exhibit will be on display Sept. 6 – 30, 2017 at Gallery B located at 7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite E.

2017 Trawick Prize Finalists

• Cindy Cheng, Baltimore, MD
• Larry Cook, Landover Hills, MD
• Amy Finkelstein, Takoma Park, MD
• Helen Glazer, Owings Mills, MD
• Giulia Livi, Baltimore, MD
• Michele Montalbano, Burke, VA
• Ben Piwowar, Baltimore, MD
• Renée Rendine, Towson, MD

The award winners will be announced on Wednesday, September 6, 2017. The Best in Show, first place winner will be awarded $10,000; second place will be honored with $2,000 and third place will be awarded $1,000.

The public opening reception will be held Friday, September 8 from 6-8pm. Gallery hours for the duration of the exhibit are Wednesdaythrough Saturday, 12 – 6pm.

2017 celebrates the 15th year of the esteemed, regional art competition. The Trawick Prize, founded by Carol Trawick in 2003, is one of the first regional competitions and largest prizes to annually honor visual artists. She also established the Bethesda Painting Awards in 2005.

“It has been my distinct honor and pleasure to recognize and award regional artists each year through The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards and the Bethesda Painting Awards,” said Carol Trawick. “Without art, our world would be much less expressive and fulfilling. Artists are an essential part of our local communities and I am proud of our awards programs that honor and support talented, world-class artists from the area who enrich our community with their craft.”

A longtime community activist in downtown Bethesda, Ms. Trawick has served as the Chair of the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District, Bethesda Urban Partnership, Strathmore and the Maryland State Arts Council. The Jim and Carol Trawick Foundation was established in 2007 after the Trawicks sold their successful information technology company. A former teacher and entrepreneur, Ms. Trawick remains engaged in a range of philanthropic causes through the Foundation, which was established to assist health and human services and arts non-profits in Montgomery County. The Jim and Carol Trawick Foundation has awarded grants to more than 90 nonprofits.

The 2017 Trawick Prize jurors are Zoë Charlton, Art Department Chair and Associate Professor at American University; Neil Feather, Maryland-based artist and former winner of the Sondheim Art Prize and The Trawick Prize and Elizabeth Mead, Art Department Chair and Associate Professor of Art and Art History at William & Mary.

To date, The Trawick Prize has awarded $205,000 in prize monies and has exhibited the work of more than 130 regional artists. Previous Best in Show recipients include Richard Clever, 2003; David Page, 2004; Jiha Moon, 2005; James Rieck, 2006; Jo Smail, 2007; Maggie Michael, 2008; Rene Trevino, 2009; Sara Pomerance, 2010; Mia Feuer, 2011; Lillian Bayley Hoover, 2012; Gary Kachadourian, 2013; Neil Feather, 2014; Jonathan Monaghan, 2015 and Lauren Adams, 2016.

For more information, please visit www.bethesda.org or call 301-215-6660.

From award-winning theatre to independent films, downtown Bethesda’s Arts & Entertainment District is filled with inspiring artists and art venues. The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District is managed by the Bethesda Urban Partnership, Inc., and is the producer of The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards, Bethesda Painting Awards, Bethesda Fine Arts Festival, Gallery B, Studio B, Bernard/Ebb Songwriting Awards, Bethesda Film Fest and Play In A Day.

Image via Bethesda's Arts & Entertainment District