VISUAL ARTIST AWARDS - NOMINATIONS OPEN

The Arts Council of Sonoma County announces the nomination phase for the 2012 Sonoma County Artist Awards for Emerging Visual Artists (EVA). From now through August 1, 2011, the Arts Council of Sonoma County will be accepting online nominations for the prestigious awards program that will honor three artists with a $2500 unrestricted cash award.

The awards are designed to recognize and award excellence in both artistic merit and body of work and will be given to individual emerging visual artists residing in Sonoma County, particularly artists who are expected to have a significant impact on art in the future. We welcome nominations from artists, representatives from arts councils, art organizations, galleries, museums, as well as from individual patrons, collectors, and community members. Artists may also self-nominate.

Deadline: Nominations must be submitted by Monday, August 1st, 2011.


Online Nomination Site: http://artscouncilsc.com/scaa/(Click on EVA Forms)

Criteria: SCAA for Emerging Visual Artists awards artists in the “visual arts”, which includes 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional works such as: assemblage, electronic media, fiber, film, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, site-specific installations, etc. We seek artists of extraordinary talent and commitment to their craft at the emerging stage of their career. Nominated artists must meet the following criteria:

Sonoma County residents
18 years of age or older
Must NOT have gallery representation
Must NOT have had a solo exhibition at an established art institution such as a gallery or museum
After the nomination deadline of August 1, 2012, each nominated artist will be notified of his or her nomination and encouraged to apply. Then a Screening Committee, which consists of 5-7 art professionals, will review and select the top 25 finalists. Three esteemed jurors from outside Sonoma County will then select the 3 winners to receive the award.

ABOUT THE SONOMA COUNTY ARTIST AWARDS PROGRAM
Sonoma County Artist Awards is a program of the Arts Council of Sonoma County. It debuted as a biennial program in 2006 for Emerging Visual Artists (EVA) and expanded to be an annual program in 2009 with the inaugural Performing, Music, and Literary Artist Awards (PMLA). EVA awards are in even-numbered years, and PMLA awards are in odd-numbered years. The program was initially funded by a grant from the Irvine Foundation Communities Advancing the Arts Initiative, in partnership with the Community Foundation Sonoma County, from 2006–2011. The program was modeled after the prestigious Eureka Fellowships award of San Francisco’s Fleishhacker Foundation and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s SECA Award. The program expansion to include performing and literary artists was modeled after USA Artists, a National Artist Fellowship awards program. To support up and coming artists and build a broader arts sector for Sonoma County, the 2012 awards are designed to recognize and reward excellence in both artistic merit and body of work for individual artists working in Sonoma County, and in particular, artists who will have a significant impact on the arts in the future. A dedicated website may be found at www.artscouncilsc.com/scaa

PAST AWARD RECIPIENTS
2010 Emerging Visual Artists award recipients:
Tramaine de Senna (Sebastopol), Laine Justice (Healdsburg), Andrew Sofie (Calistoga)
2008 Emerging Visual Artist award recipients:
Sarah Frieberg (Petaluma), Geirrod Van Dyke (Santa Rosa), Julie Cavaz (Sonoma)
2006 Emerging Visual Artist award recipients:
Catherine Richardson (Santa Rosa), Todd Barricklow (Santa Rosa), Seth Minor (Camp Meeker)
2011 Performing, Music, and Literary awards recipients:
Eliot Fintushel, Performing Artist (Santa Rosa), Steve Pile, Music Artist (Santa Rosa), Joan Frank, Literary Artist (Santa Rosa)
2009 Performing, Music, and Literary award recipients:
Robin Beeman, Literary Artist (Occidental), Jim Corbett, Music Artist (Sebastopol), John Harden, Performing Artist (Santa Rosa)

ABOUT THE ARTS COUNCIL OF SONOMA COUNTY
Founded in 1984 as a nonprofit community benefit organization, the Arts Council believes that a vibrant and diverse arts and cultural sector is invaluable to our community, enhancing the lives of every individual and strengthening the connectivity of a community as a whole. Our three core initiatives are advocacy, re-granting and collaborative programs. We advocate for the arts and arts accessibility countywide. We promote collaboration, raise the visibility of the arts, and re-grant funding to artists, art educators, and art organizations, to provide broader services to our community and tourist base. Since 1984 the Board of Supervisors has reauthorized the Arts Council of Sonoma County as the State/County arts and cultural organization representing the arts in Sonoma County. The Arts Council provides leadership in support of the growth and accessibility of all art and artists in Sonoma County. For more information, please contact Jennifer Sloan, Executive Director at (707) 579-2787 ex 106, jsloan@artscouncilsc.com. Sites: artscouncilsc.com, SonomaArts.com


Elaine Gutsch
Membership & Visual Arts Program Manager
Arts Council of Sonoma County
T: 707.579.2787 x105 | F: 707.542.3412
egutsch@artscouncilsc.com | www.artscouncilsc.com
community web portal: www.SonomaArts.com
Community Benefit Organization/Non Profit 501c(3)