Last night David Eckard was awarded the 19th Bonnie Bronson Award, an incredibly well deserved choice.



But to speak of things people seldom state publicly, somehow Eckard's choice seemed different, more surprising and edgier than previous decisions, which felt much more politicized (all good artists but not controversial in any way). Politically for example, Eckard does not have gallery representation, in a city that seldom represents installation artists... despite the fact that it is one of our greatest strengths genre-wise. What's more, since the award normally goes to mid career artists it seems indicative of the vast changes the city has undergone in terms of identity as evidenced by its now much more active, edgy and international art scene. Good on you David, you are always blazing new ground... even when collecting a check. We will see how this affects other regional awards like the Contemporary Northwest Art Awards, RACC fellowships, Betty Bowen and the Brink. All of which except the Brink (geared towards recent art school graduates) have felt a heavy air of inevitability about them.