Art Grows Rexburg President Kyoung Dabell and Lane Hemming presented awards to this year's adult category winners last night in the Hemming Village atrium. Here is the full list of winners and their prizes.
2022 AGR Adult Competition Winners
STUDENT AWARDS:
1st $350: Rachel Reynolds- Searching, Oil
2nd $200: Lizzy Gehmlich- Summer Sunrise, Oil
3rd $100: Jessica Beck- Stalking Leopard, Watercolor
Merit Award $50: Mariia Parkhomenko- Incarnation, Woodblock Print
Merit Award $50: LeAnne Crystal-A Hopeful Heart, Oil
Honorable Mention: Samm Liddicott-Back Alley, Large Format Silver Gelatin
Honorable Mention: Makella Brown-Gifted, Charcoal
AMATEUR AWARDS:
1st $400: Benjamin Haacke-High Council Under Wise Tree, Oil
2nd $250: Nicole C. Romney- Canale Monterano, Mixed Media
3rd $150: Katie Tuck-Spring Thaw, Glass Mosaic
Merit Award $75: Jessica Beck-Vemazza Bay, Gouache
Merit Award $75: Ben Wilson- You Forgot Someone! P.S. They Might Be Bandits, Watercolor
Honorable Mention: Bill Moss-Temple by the Falls, Watercolor
Honorable Mention: Amy Clements- Arteries, Textile
PROFESSIONAL AWARDS:
1st $1,000: Brian Astle-Catalyst, Oil
2nd $750: Ryan Muldowney, Oil
3rd $500: Cali Ward- A Walk in the Light, Oil
Merit Award $100: David Belka- Wood Line, Photography
Merit Award $100: Scott Franson- Undulation, Paper
Honorable Mention: Donnie Tapp-Common Ground, Oil
Honorable Mention: Margaret Blake- Cassava, Kinshasa – Watercolor
Learn more about the competiton and the 2022 guest artist below. (This article was originally published on June 1st prior to the event.)
Art Grows Rexburg is coming to Hemming Village again this summer
Rexburg artists of all ages have the opportunity to enter the Art Grows Rexburg competition for a chance to win cash prizes.
Art Grows Rexburg President Kyoung Dabell is excited for this year’s art competition. Throughout her time as a curator, teacher and Art Grows Rexburg President, Dabell has felt satisfaction in seeing talented young artists develop their skills and improve each year.
“It's really exciting to see them grow and develop their skills and make art more than just doodling on a kitchen table but actually enrich their lives and bring joy into their lives. And, we can see that, and that's just such a gratifying experience,” she said.
Child and teen registration has closed. The award ceremony will be held on June 8th. Adult online registration opens on June 6 and closes June 16 at 11 a.m. All registered adult artists are required to present their framed and finished works at the Hemming Village lobby by 6 p.m. on that day. Dabell said there are approximately 150 submissions each year.
Featured artist Rose Datoc Dall will speak at the adult art award ceremony on June 23. According to her website, her works are in permanent collections at Brigham Young University, Southern Virginia University and the Museum of Church History and Art in Salt Lake City. In an interview with BYU-Idaho Radio, she described her early relationship with art and how it has developed over the years.
“I think that I could always draw. In my earliest memories, I think I was always picking up a pencil and drawing and doodling. From elementary school on, it was something that I always enjoyed. It was kind of my safe place. And then, as I got older and my interests widened, I loved all kinds of creative pursuits … but, one thing led to another and I ended up becoming a painter, and I’m really happy with that choice,” Dall said.
Dall recently finished a joint studio tour with her daughter Ginger Dall Egbert at the Woodland Hills Studio and Gallery. Among the art displayed was Dall’s most personal masterpiece yet — “I was, I am” (By Rose Datoc Dall,©2022, used with artist’s permission).
The painting is a self-portrait of Dall being pulled across a threshold from a blue side littered with insults to a pink side adorned with uplifting words. Though it can be interpreted as a metaphor for baptism, she explained that “I was, I am” is the embodiment of discovering true beauty in her identity and letting go of insecurities and opposition. Over the course of a year, this piece required several hours of emotional self-reflection and genuine expression on canvas.
“I have to say it was probably the most raw and the most vulnerable that I have ever been in a piece of art,” she said. “Usually, I’m a lot more subtle in my artwork and there’s a lot left for interpretation, but I didn’t feel this message was going to get across with subtly.”
Despite her success, Dall’s career didn’t take off until 2009 when she won the Purchase Award for "Flight" at the 8th International Church Art Competition sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Based on her experience, she emphasized that building a cohesive portfolio with current artwork is an important step to gaining an audience. ("Flight," by Rose Datoc Dall,©2008, used with artist’s permission.)
“I tell young artists everywhere that the most important thing that you can do and that you can chase as an artist is to find and develop your own artist’s voice,” Dall said. “And what I mean by that, it’s that quality that you bring to the art. You’re basically infusing yourself, a bit of your soul into your art, bringing an authentic and honest statement … that is probably the most difficult but most important thing an artist can do.”
Dall is excited to share her knowledge at the Art Grows Rexburg event. She hopes she can give good counsel and inspiration to artists continuing to pursue their dreams.
“I am a big supporter of young, up-and-coming artists and I love to encourage them when I can. It’s so challenging for artists to even get off the ground, and I just love to be there to help mentor and encourage them in their struggle and also to celebrate them, that they’re doing what they love.”
Volunteers are needed to prepare the art displays for this event. To become an Art Grows Rexburg volunteer, sign up on justserve.org. For more information about Art Grows Rexburg, visit the Art Grows Rexburg website.
("The Veil is Beginning to Burst", by Rose Datoc Dall,©2021, used with artist’s permission.)