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Art of the State: Pennsylvania 2020 Exhibition Winners Announced

The State Museum of Pennsylvania announced the winners of Art of the State: Pennsylvania 2020.

Art of the State is an annual juried exhibition that has been showcasing the work of Pennsylvania’s artists at The State Museum of Pennsylvania since 1968. The body of art that has been exhibited reflects more than a half century of creative endeavor in the Keystone State. Exhibitors have shared their ideas and engaged viewers in the categories of photography, painting, work on paper, craft, and sculpture. Awards were given in each of those categories.

The William D. Davis Memorial Award for Drawing and The State Museum of Pennsylvania Purchase Award were also selected. The Art Docents Corps of The State Museum selected its Docents’ Choice Award.

Winners were chosen from 108 works selected from 1,901 entries.

This year’s first-prize winners are from Allegheny, Indiana, Northumberland, Philadelphia and Union, counties. Special awards went to artists from Columbia and Luzerne counties.

Due to the pandemic, prizes were awarded at the 2020 Art of the State virtual award ceremony broadcast via social media on Sunday, September 13. The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission’s state-owned historic sites and museums, including The State Museum, remain closed to the public to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Art of State is presented by The State Museum of Pennsylvania in association with the Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation.

The Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation is the nonprofit partner of the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission, the state agency charged with collecting, preserving, researching and interpreting the treasures of Pennsylvania. Through private contributions, PHF supports PHMC in protecting and providing access to 24 historic sites and museums, approximately 9 million objects, and more than 250 million archival items.

The State Museum of Pennsylvania, adjacent to the State Capitol in Harrisburg, is one of 24 historic sites and museums administered by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission as part of the Pennsylvania Trails of History. The State Museum offers expansive collections interpreting Pennsylvania’s fascinating heritage. With exhibits examining the dawn of geologic time, the Native American experience, the Colonial and Revolutionary eras, a pivotal Civil War battleground, and the commonwealth's vast industrial age, The State Museum demonstrates that Pennsylvania's story is America's story.

For more information visit The State Museum of Pennsylvania website or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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The following prizes were awarded at the 2020 Art of the State virtual award ceremony broadcast via social media on Sunday, September 13. Cash awards for each category are first prize, $500; second prize, $300; third, $200.

The award ceremony, 360-degree virtual exhibit, an exhibit catalogue pdf, and programming announcements can be accessed here at the Art of the State 2020 landing page.

Photography

1st  Prize: Sanh Tran - Pretty in Pink No. 2

2nd Prize: Nicholas Bowen - Pool at Dusk: Kutztown, PA

3rd Prize: John Stritzinger - Sacramentos: Writing Overseas

 

Painting

1st Prize: Quantum Liq/Mike Pavol - One Portrait, Two Artists

2nd Prize:  Duyan Nguyen/Jeremiah Johnson – Riding the Tiger

3rd Prize: Marian Phillips – Another Failed Attempt to Hide from Carl

 

Work on Paper

1st Prize: Eddy Lopez - La Prensa - Resistencia Ciudadana

2nd Prize: Autumn Wright - Flight Pattern

3rd Prize: Scott Cantrell – The Past Isn’t Dead, It Isn’t Even Past

 

Craft

1st Prize: Sandra Moore – Mounted Ball

2nd Prize: Sue Reno – In Dreams I Saw the Rift

3rd Prize: Jack Handshaw - Harvest

3rd Prize: Becky McDonah - Seeds and Synthetics: A Need for Sustainable Sustenance

3rd Prize: Silvijah Singh – High Seas

 

Sculpture

1st Prize: Sean Derry - To Borrow Breath

2nd Prize: Suzanne Bonsall Kahn - The Heavy Weight of Pearls

3rd Prize:Theodore Prescott - Traveler

   

The State Museum Purchase Award

Travis Prince - Royal    

 

William D. Davis Memorial Award for Drawing

Richard Huck - Patchtown

 

Art Docents Choice Award

Oren Helbok - Bob Kimmel and Mike Fenstermaker, Schuylkill Haven

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