I saw this poster on an electrical box in DC the other day.The news is official: this year’s Sondheim Prize now has twenty-six semi-finalists. Well, some of the semi-finalists are artist groups, aka ‘visual artist collaboratives’ but that doesn’t change much. This is the fourth year that the $25,000 artscape prize is being awarded to an artist from MD, PA, VA, or DC.
The three jurors, Ellen Harvey, Valerie Cassel Oliver and Elisabeth Sussman, will name the finalists on April 14, after all the semi- finalists submit copious amounts of images, press clippings, and application materials. Regardless of who is chosen as a finalist, all twenty-six semis are guaranteed an exhibit in the Decker and Meyerhoff galleries at MICA in July, pretty much the only reason I go to Artscape. No offense to anyone, especially the dudes selling falafels. The winner of the Sondheim prize will be announced at 7 p.m. July 11 at the BMA. This year’s competition drew 334 entries.
For your web-related pleasure, all the semi-finalists are listed below and each name is linked, if applicable, to the artist’s websites, so you can decide for yourself. FYI, finding all the websites was a real pain in the ass, so I hope everyone appreciates. I will be including a betting pool of sorts for readers to participate in – a la baker awards – without editing, in order to see if you, the public, can choose the best six or eight finalists for this year.
Fifty bucks to the person who can accurately name the exact finalists the judges will choose. Yes, you have to post it here. Did I stutter? One post per person, although fake names are, obviously, fine.
The semifinalists are:
• Seth Adelsberger, Baltimore
• “Alzaruba,” also known as Al Zaruba, Baltimore
•The Baltimore Development Cooperative, Baltimore. The cooperative includes Scott Berzofsky, Dane Nester and Nicholas Wisniewski, who are working on a community farm/art project in East Baltimore. Berzofsky and Wisniewski are former founding members of the artist collective known as Camp Baltimore.
•Lisa Blas, Washington, D.C.
• Rachel Bone, Baltimore
• Jessica Braiterman, Beltsville
• Travis Childers, Fairfax, Va.
• Mary Coble, Washington, D.C.
• R.L. Croft, Manassas, Va.
• Alyssa Dennis, Baltimore
• Liz Ensz, Baltimore
• Leslie Furlong, Baltimore
• Ryan Hackett, Kensington
• Christian Herr, Lancaster, Pa.
• Jason Horowitz, Arlington, Va.
• Jessie Lehson, Baltimore
• Kim Manfredi, Baltimore
• Katherine Mann, Baltimore
• Baby Martinez, Washington, D.C.
• Sebastian Martorana, Baltimore
• Lisa Moren, Baltimore
• Ellen Nielsen, Baltimore
• Louie Palu, Washington, D.C.
• Molly Springfield, Washington, D.C.
• “TwoCan Collective,” Baltimore. TwoCan Collective consists of two women, “Emily C-D” and Jessica Unterhalter, who often make work using recycled materials.
• Karen Yasinsky, Baltimore
I, personally, feel that Louie Palu should win based on the coolness of his name, but that’s just me. If you start saying his name once or twice, you really can’t stop saying it. I bet this will work in his favor with the judges.
