Trawick Prize Winners Announced

"Just Not Enough" By Dave D'Orio; scooter, found objects, glass syringes, silvered glass water jugs

Bethesda Contemporary Art’s Trawick Prize is a visual art prize produced by the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District that honors artists from Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Virginia. The annual juried competition awards $14,000 in prize money to selected artists and features the work of the finalists in a group exhibition. The 2012 exhibition is at Gallery B, located at 7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, MD, and it runs through Sept 29th.  The public opening reception will be held Friday, Sept 14 from 6-9 pm in conjunction with the Bethesda Art Walk.

Baltimore artist Lillian Bayley Hoover was awarded “Best in Show” on Wednesday, Sept 5 at a special reception that named the winners of the Trawick Prize. Hoover won $10,000 for her oil painting based on a photograph of a scale model Pergamon Altar in the ancient Greek city of Pergamon, in modern day Turkey.

"Feeder 301" By Dave D'Orio Artwork photos by AnythingPhotographic

Mount Rainier artist Dave D'Orio won second place for his mixed media glass sculptures. David frequently uses found objects, blown glass and industrial materials to crate symbolic imagery. He uses duplication, repetition, and an emphasis on material to evoke the feeling of factory mass-produced objects and of hyper technology. Dave’s imagery is a mix of the metaphoric, absurd and ironic and possesses an enviable ability to attract and repel the viewer. Dave does not explain every element in his sculpture - he says he likes viewers to draw their own conclusions about the "possible purpose and unstated problem the artwork would address".

When asked about what receiving the Trawick Prize means to him, Dave said  " My work can be seen as "challenging" and its not what most people think of as beautiful - its really great to have my work seen in this prestigious setting; to also have it awarded is incredible".

 

Dave D'Orio in his studio. Photo by AnythingPhotgraphic

David is the executive director of DC GlassWorks, a glass blowing facility in Hyattsville, MD. His work has been shown at Artomatic in Crystal City, the Marlboro Gallery of Prince George’s Community College and last year was part of the Arlington Arts Center Solos. At this past Artomatic, the James Renwick Alliance gave Dave's installation sculpture its 'Award of Recognition'.

The 2012 Trawick Finalists included:

Lillian Bayley Hoover, Baltimore, MD; David D’Orio, Mt. Rainier, MD; Dean Kessmann, Washington, D.C.; Hannah Walsh, Richmond, VA; Skye Gilkerson, Baltimore, MD; Nate Larson, Baltimore, MD; Joshua Wade Smith, Baltimore, MD; Diane Szczepaniak, Potomac, MD

Congratulations to the 2012 Winners!

1^st Place, $10,000 - Lillian Bayley Hoover, Baltimore, MD

2^nd  Place, $2,000 - David D’Orio, Mt. Rainier, MD

3^rd  Place, $1,000 - Dean Kessmann, Washington, D.C.

Young Artist Award, $1,000 - Hannah Walsh, Richmond, VA

Carol Trawick with David D’Orio and Catherine Leggett. Photo courtesy Bethesda Urban Partnership

The 2012 Trawick Prize jury included Dawn Gavin, Associate Professor in Drawing and Foundations at the University of Maryland, College Park; B. Kelly Gordon, Associate Curator at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.; and N. Elizabeth Schlatter, Deputy Director and Curator of Exhibitions at the University of Richmond Museums, Virginia.