Several Miami artists are in the running for a hefty wad of cash, courtesy of the Orlando Museum of Art. Dubbed the Florida Prize in Contemporary Art, the annual award, now in its second year, recognizes one notable artist who's contributing to the state's increasingly awesome range of cultural offerings.
The nominees include Farley Aguilar, Nicolas Lobo, Bhakt Baxter, Alex Trimino, and Antonia Wright, all out of Miami; plus Cesar Cornejo and Michael Covello of Tampa; Rob Duarte of Tallahassee; Jennifer Kaczmarek of Pensacola; and Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz of Orlando. The prize amount is yet to be announced, but last year's honoree, Miami's Agustina Woodgate, took home $20,000.
"The 10 artists were chosen by our museum's curatorial team," explains Michael Laderman, Director of External Affairs for the Orlando Museum of Art. "Initially, a 'call for artists' was sent out statewide, in which we received hundreds of submissions. Our curatorial team also invited other contemporary artists throughout Florida that they felt should also submit entries. From all of those, the top 10 were chosen."
The exhibition includes artists across all platforms including film, video, painting, sculpture, mixed-media, and large scale installations.
So who gets to pick a winner?
"Three jurors will choose the winner, including Juan Roselione-Valadez, who is the director of the Rubell Family Collection in Miami," says Laderman. "The other jurors are Ginger Gregg Duggan, an independent curator; and Ben Thompson, curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Jacksonville. They will make their decisions based on overall presentation of each respective exhibit."
The exhibition will be on display at the Orlando Museum of Art through September 6.