FINE ARTS CREATIVITY AWARD AND SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

Blurring Boundaries: Tradition | HD
April 2 – May 23, 2010
Jorgensen Gallery and Marks Graphics Center

This year celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Fine Arts Creativity Awards and Scholarship Program Exhibition. This year, eight Coachella Valley High School and College of the Desert submitted almost 250 works in various media including painting, sculpture, drawing and photography to be considered. These entries were juried by museum professionals and local artists Mark Stephenson, focusing on photography, and Elliott Newton, focusing on ceramics. Jurors considered creative interpretation of the theme, technical ability, originality and imaginative communication of ideas and emotions when making their selections.

This year's exhibition, Blurring Boundaries: Tradition | HD, allowed students to explore the role that boundaries play in their lives and in the world. Some artists thought very personally about the boundaries that they face in their lives, both positively and negatively. Others explored ideas about technology and how technological advancement has been both a source of wonder and of destruction. Some artists thought about boundaries on a global, social and political level. Many of the artists in the exhibition blurred the boundaries between art styles, genres, and mediums.

Two artworks received the Georgia Fogelson Purchase Award and will be accessioned into the permanent Education Department Collection at the museum. In addition, several other generous monetary awards are presented. Each exhibiting student received a certificate of merit and a one-year family membership to the museum.

Please join the museum in congratulating these dedicated artists on their achievements and encouraging them to follow their dreams.  

Looking Back/Moving Forward: 20 years of the Fine Arts Creativity Awards Program
April 2 – May 2, 2010
Zone 101 in the Hoover Gallery

The Fine Arts Creativity Awards Program was established to give young and emerging artists the opportunity to participate in a juried exhibition and to have their artwork displayed in the museum galleries in a professional manner. Each year the variety of artwork submitted and the statements they make are unique and thought-provoking. These artists express ideas that are always personal yet at the same time speak to wider social issues that impact their lives.

Since 1991, over 800 young artists have exhibited here at the museum. Many of these students have gone on to careers in the arts and the museum is proud to have been an early source of encouragement.

A unique aspect of this program is the purchase award. Each year the museum purchases two works of art in order to recognize outstanding artistic ability. Thirty-six artworks have been purchased as a part of the Education Department permanent collection and are an important part of programming and exhibitions. This retrospective exhibition highlights the amazing talents of these young artists. 

The Fine Arts Creativity Awards Program was in 1990 by Jim Anathan in memory of his late wife Janet Anathan and her life-long interest in the success of young people. The Georgia Fogelson Fund was established in 2003 to provide annual scholarship funds for graduating high school art students. Additional funding provided by Donna and Cargill MacMillan, Jr., the Coeta and Donald Barker Foundation and U.S. Bank.

Exhibition Winners

Who Needs a Title, Anyway? 03.19.08 - 06.10.08 The Teen Art Group (TAG) at the Palm Springs Art Museum began this exhibition by looking at a range of prints from the permanent collection. They quickly decided that some of the most visually interesting pieces were named Untitled. Each member chose a piece that moved them and piqued their curiosity. more>>

2008 Fine Arts Creativity Awards Exhibition 03.15.08 - 05.04.08 Outstanding artworks by Coachella Valley high school and College of the Desert Students receive much deserved recognition in this juried exhibition. Works are selected to present a wide range of interpretations of a theme in a variety of media. more>>

To view previous FACAS exhibitions, click here