Award Winners Announced for the 2024 National Juried Art Exhibition Celebrates Excellence in Contemporary Art
Dracena by Heidi Brueckner
Shortly after the 2024 National Juried Art Exhibition opened, jurors selected award recipients for various award types across multiple categories. The VMRC art team gathered with participating artists and their supporters to celebrate the winners, who were announced at a special awards reception.
The exhibition awards are a testament to VMRC's unwavering commitment to fostering emerging talent and artistic growth. The new Anne Pauley Award is a $750 grant bestowed upon a first-time exhibiting artist. Also new this year is the Park Gables Gallery Grant, a $1500 grant awarded to one artist to further their artistic growth. Other awards include Best in Show, Best in Division (3), Honorable Mention (6), Juror’s Choice (3) and Popular Choice (3).
Jurors, Gina Pierleoni, a distinguished painter; Stacey Evans, an accomplished photographer; and Josh Manning, a respected art professor at Hollins University, meticulously evaluated submissions based on creativity, technical skill and artistic vision. They also chose 3 award winners for the Jurors’ Choice category.
This year’s winners include:
Best In Show: Dracena, by Heidi Brueckner
Best In Division:
Div. 1 (painting/drawing/printmaking): Home Suite: Cromarty (Scotland), by John Bell
Div. 2 (photography/digital art): Open Windows, Fresh Air, by Tana Ebbole
Div. 3 (fabric/assemblage/mixed media): Anyway, by Austin Sheppard
Honorable Mention:
Two Women From Chinchero, by John Terry
Clarity, by Rebecca Pence
Beloved Matriarch, by Linda Hinson
All The Friends, by Theresa Conklin
The Bringer of Gratitude, by Gino Castellanos
B233, by George Radeschi
Juror’s Choice:
Gina Pierleoni: Antwan Motivating Others, by Rachel Mindrup
Stacey Evans: Divergent, by Robert Hunter
Josh Manning: Woman With Canary, by Jerry Coulter
Popular Choice:
Green Garden, by Svetlana Lechkina
All The Friends, by Theresa Conklin
The Green Goat, by Herb Weaver
Anne Pauley Award: Anyway, by Austin Sheppard
Park Gables Gallery Grant: Beth Wiseman
This is the 21st year of this celebrated event. Its continued success signals VMRC’s commitment to bringing contemporary art discourse to Harrisonburg and supporting and celebrating artistic achievement. The exhibition continues its run through Friday, June 28. View this year’s artwork here.