Neddy at Cornish annual artist award program

OPEN CALL APPLICATION DEADLINE: MARCH 3, 2013

The Neddy at Cornish is an annual artist award program supported by the Behnke Foundation and housed at Cornish College of the Arts in memory of Robert E. (“Ned”) Behnke and in celebration of his life as an artist. Each year, two $25,000 unrestricted awards are given—one in painting and one in any medium or combination of media grounded in the visual arts—to artists living and working in the greater Puget Sound region. Six finalists will also receive $1,000 and will be included in a group exhibition each June.

HISTORY

Ned Behnke was a beloved member of the Behnke Family and a renowned and talented painter. Ned had a passion for the arts that extended beyond his own work. He appreciated the myriad forms that art takes and the way in which art can foster a conscious, vital, and more livable world. After Ned’s untimely death, Shari D. Behnke created the Neddy in 1996 as a way to honor both his legacy as a visual artist and his deep connection to the Seattle art community. Under the auspices of the Behnke Foundation, the Neddy has become one of the most important art awards in Seattle. The artists who have been recognized have a unique vision and a strong passion for their art as well as for the transformative potential of art to enliven and enrich the world in which they live and practice.

In 2011, the Behnke Foundation transferred the program to Cornish College of the Arts to house and administer the Neddy at Cornish artist award program. Building on the history Ned shared with the College and on the shared commitment of the Foundation and the College to invigorate and sustain communities through art, the Neddy at Cornish program will continue to make two substantial and unrestricted awards to Seattle artists each year. To assist the College, an advisory board of regional arts professionals will offer their external perspective and expertise.

AWARD CRITERIA

There are two Neddy awards each year. Recipients will demonstrate artistic distinction through an established body of work and a commitment to their practice. In honor of Ned and his passion for painting, one Neddy celebrates artists that continue to innovate through this traditional medium. Reflecting the ever-increasing possibilities in contemporary art practices, one Neddy honors artists that work in any medium or combination of media grounded in the visual arts.

Ned Behnke embodied Cornish College of the Art’s mission of developing artists as citizens—individuals who create outstanding artwork with an applied consciousness of responsibility to society. As the awards honor Ned’s legacy, Neddy recipients will reflect and embody his belief in the power of art and artists to be positive forces in our world. The criteria for both awards are:

1. Demonstrated commitment to and ongoing development of one’s artistic vision.
2. Demonstrated engagement with the world around them through their art practice, broadly understood.

ELIGIBILITY

Artists may apply for a Neddy at Cornish artist award if they meet the following eligibility requirements:

- Artists must be full-time residents of Washington State, residing in the greater Puget Sound region (Island, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Mason, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, Thurston, and Whatcom counties).
- Artists must be 18 years of age or older during the time of application.
- Artists must be currently active, demonstrating an ongoing pattern of producing and presenting work.
- Students in either undergraduate or graduate degree programs at the time of application are NOT eligible.
- Neddy at Cornish advisors, program staff, and the immediate families of each are not eligible.
- “Artist” is defined to mean either one artist or several artists who work as a single unit.

Applicants are invited to contact program staff with questions about eligibility.

APPLICATION PROCESS

The Neddy at Cornish will be accepting applications through www.callforentry.org. All submitting artists (whether submitting images, audio, video or a combination) should create an Artists’ profile on this website, upload 10-15 media files and proceed by applying for the Neddy. Applicants are required to submit an artist’s resume and provide two statements for the review panel.

REVIEW PROCESS

A panel of three regional arts professionals will review all applications and select four painters and four open medium artists, for a total of eight finalists. From these eight artists, a single juror from outside the region will review portfolios and visit the eight artists’ studios, ultimately selecting one artist in each category (painting and open medium) to receive the 2013 award.

First Round: A panel of three regional arts professionals reviews the submitted application materials as a group, ultimately selecting four in each category, for a total of eight artists.

Final Round: A single juror from outside the region will conduct individual studio visits with each of the eight artists. Studio visits will be scheduled with the artists sometime in April of the award year, and will be facilitated by the Neddy at Cornish program staff.

Notification: Following the studio visits, the juror will select the two Neddy award recipients. The remaining six finalists will also receive special recognition through a $1,000 award and inclusion in the Neddy at Cornish exhibition. The Neddy Program Director will notify the two 2013 Neddy at Cornish artists and the six finalists to congratulate them.

- The two 2013 Neddy at Cornish artists will each receive $25,000.
- The six 2013 Neddy at Cornish finalists will each receive $1,000.
- All eight 2013 Neddy artists will be featured in a group exhibition and reception in their honor in the Cornish Main Gallery, September, 2013.

TIMELINE

- March 3, 2013: Open call application deadline.
- June 2013: Reception announcing finalists.
- July 2013: Studio visits with final selector.
- August 2013: Announcement of awardees.
- September, 2013: The Neddy at Cornish exhibition.
- September 2013-May 2013: Supporting programming, to be 
developed with the two 2013 awardees.


The 2013 Neddy at Cornish Program

The Neddy at Cornish program offers unrestricted $25,000 awards to artists who demonstrate a distinctive artistic practice or perspective and who engage with the community at large. To deepen the impact of these awards, Cornish College of the Arts is excited to undertake a year-long series of events and activities to honor and support the work of the recipients, and will, where feasible, make physical resources available to the artists. After an initial conversation with program staff, and depending on their interests and availability, the two 2013 Neddy at Cornish artists can elect to suggest or develop programs themselves, or can rely on program staff to shape events that reflect and highlight the awardees’ areas of artistic endeavor. Programming possibilities include, but are not limited to artist talks, studio visits, student critiques, panel discussions, or additional exhibitions. In addition to these programs and the annual exhibition, the College will host an annual Robert E. “Ned” Behnke Lecture, inviting an artist or scholar of stature to the campus for a talk and discussion of timely issues relevant to the mission of the Neddy at Cornish program.

Please contact Cornish College of the Arts if you have any questions regarding the application process: (206) 726-5116; or email neddy@cornish.edu.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: March 3, 2013
https://www.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=1191