Since there is another cut to be made I won't discuss this much other than there are no big surprises here with the potential for a solid show with lots of opportunities for Northwest stereotypes. The real test will be if this manifests as a truly world class showcase for talent in the region (by not involving Vancouver BC it seems a bit unambitious though). Here's their press release:

Today, the Portland Art Museum announced the finalists for the Contemporary Northwest Art Awards, an awards exhibition celebrating contemporary art created in Oregon , Washington , Idaho , Wyoming , and Montana . The finalists are:


Holly Andres

Chris Antemann

John Buck

Jaq Chartier

Glenn L. Clevenger

James Coupe

Tannaz Farsi

Anna Fidler

Justin Gibbons

Charles Gill

John Grade

Robert Hanson

Sean Healy

Jerry Iverson

Arnold Kemp

Scott Kolbo

Cynthia Lahti

Isaac Layman

Lead Pencil Studio – Annie Han & Daniel Mihalyo

Susie Lee

Megan Murphy

Jenene Nagy

Ryan Pierce

Michelle Ross

Heidi Schwegler

Susan Seubert

Eric Stotik

Sherrie Wolf


About the Finalists

There are 29 artists, but two artists work collaboratively. There are 14 women and 15 men with ages ranging from their 20s to over 70. Two are from Idaho , two are from Montana , 16 are from Oregon , and eight are from Washington .


The Selection Process

Regional arts professionals, including curators, scholars, dealers, writers, artists, and critics were invited to nominate visual artists based on the quality of their work, innovation, skill, continuity of vision, commitment to their practice, and level of development in their career. The Museum received 296 nominations and invited the nominated artists to submit application materials. Of the nominated artists, 241 submitted materials for consideration.

Bonnie Laing-Malcolmson, the Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Curator of Northwest Art, reviewed the nominees’ materials and selected the finalists. She will continue reviewing the artists’ work through studio visits during the next several weeks. She will eventually select five to seven artists to be recognized with the Contemporary Northwest Art Awards. These artists will be featured in the Contemporary Northwest Art Awards exhibition opening June 11.


About the Contemporary Northwest Art Awards

The exhibition and awards program will honor artistic merit and potential while providing an in-depth and scholarly presentation of work of artists working in the Northwest. The award recipients will be honored with an exhibition, a full-color catalogue, exhibition-related programming, and a modest cash award. One of the award recipients will be further recognized with the Arlene Schnitzer Prize in the amount of $10,000. The finalists announced today will be recognized in the catalogue.