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The Alliance for the Arts’ January exhibition, Winner Circle – Art Council of Southwest Florida, features over 50 award-winning artists from art organizations including the Alliance for the Arts, Cape Coral Art Center, Cape Coral Art League, Centers for the Arts Bonita Springs, Fort Myers Beach Association, Pine Island Art Association, Sanibel Captiva Art League, Southwest Florida Pastel Society, SW Florida Fine Craft Guild, and the Weavers of Char-Lee.
The Art Council of Southwest Florida’s Winner Circle Biennial Exhibition honors artists who have received top awards from 2018 through 2020. The Art Council of Southwest Florida was formed in 1963 and today consists of nineteen affiliated organizations consisting of members from Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties with a combined membership of over 6,800 artists.
After consideration from jurors Carol Broman and Leila Mesdaghi, awards were unveiled to the public during a virtual opening reception on Jan. 8. Awards totaled $1,000 to artists in both 2D and 3D categories.
Winners Circle Award Winners
- 3rd Place – 2D – Tom Werdin, Lake Michigan Shore, Pastel, Pine Island Art Association
- 3rd Place – 3D – Carol Murphy, Earth’s Baptism, Fiber, Weavers of Char-Lee
- 2nd Place – 2D – Nuch Owen, The Bluebirds of Happiness, Silk Painting, Centers for the Arts Bonita Springs
- 2nd Place – 3D – Karen E. Harris, Let’s Dance, Stone and Paper Clay, Centers for the Arts Bonita Springs
- 1st Place – 2D – Christine Wyatt, Two Young Girls, Acrylic and Charcoal, Alliance for the Arts
- 1st Place 3D – Shannon Vickers, Wishes or Weeds, Glass and Concrete, Cape Coral Art Center
- Best in Show – Geoffrey Hamel, You Have to Do Your Part, Mixed Media, Alliance for the Arts
A full list of exhibiting artists include: Marnie Becker, Beth Blewett, Katherine Boren, Brian B. Christensen, Dee Cooper, Ginger Craven, Tracy Cullimore, Michael Danley, Stan Dzedzy, Ruth Epstein, Kathy Erickson, Renee Farr, Cheryl A. Fausel, Donna Filomio, Robert A. Ford, Kathy Gibbs, Tanya Trinkaus Glass, Brad Goldman, Carol Gray, Geoffrey Hamel, Karen E. Harris, Barbara Hewitt, Keith Johnson, David King, Diane Kuntz, Mary Liseio, Mimi Little, Zan Lombardo, Judy Majerus, Nance Marsden, Leslie McNeil, Carol Murphy, Elaine Myers, Julie Nusbaum, Lynn Ondercin, Jan Oosterwaal, Nuch Owen, Katrina Parker, Joan Tangren Reynolds, Thomas Roth, Trudy Sampson, Rosemary Sexton, Mary Lewis Sheehan, Ruthe Sholler, Joan Brechin Sonnenberg, Kathy Summer, Africa Valdez, Shannon Vickers, Dannica Walker, Jan Werdin, Tom Werdin, Christine Wyatt, Roseline M. Young, and Peter Zell.
The Alliance gallery and gift shop hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. 1 p.m. or by appointment by contacting gallery director Ehren Gerhard at [email protected]. The exhibit will continue through Jan. 30.
While gallery admission and scheduled artists’ talks are free, a $5 suggested donation sustains the future of arts in southwest Florida. Masks and social distancing are required inside the Alliance for the Arts building.
For more information about the exhibit, visit ArtInLee.org/WinnerCircle or call 239-939-2787.
