From local reports
James Soe Nyun took first place at the Athenaeum’s 20th annual Juried Exhibition for his pigment photographs of landscapes in Yellowstone National Park and Shoshone Falls in Idaho. The three-part series is on display in the north corner of the Athenaeum’s main gallery.
The awards were announced at an opening reception on Aug. 5 at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla.
Soe Nyun holds a B.A. in music from the U of C, Riverside and an M.A. in music (with emphasis in composition) from UCSD. His work is in private and corporate collections, including the Yosemite Museum, Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, and the Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego.
Second place
went to Colin Tuis Nesbit for his hand-drawn stone lithograph “Here is where we meet.” The black and white lithograph depicts a man sitting on a bench with hands clasped together. The lithograph is on view in the Athenaeum’s rotunda. Nesbit received a B.F.A. in lithography from Illinois State University, and a M.F.A. in printmaking and drawing from Brigham Young University.
Third place
went to Joshua Jon Miller for his mixed-media sculpture, standing on the floor of the Athenaeum’s main gallery. An amalgam of objects, including a steel frame, porcelain bust, and cactus all balance atop two wooden stools. Miller received a B.F.A. from the U of C, Los Angeles.
A monetary prize and a yearlong family membership to the Athenaeum were awarded to each these artists.
Honorable mentions
were made for five other participating artists, listed here in alphabetical order according to last name:
Ela Boyd; Mark Bryce; Bijan Dowlatshahi; Michelle Montjoy; and Cecilia Stanford.
Open only to artists who live, work, or have exhibited in San Diego, the Athenaeum’s Annual Juried Exhibition provides a platform for local artists to receive excellent exposure and to draw inspiration from talented peers. Acceptable submissions this year included 2-D and 3-D media, with the exception of functional or craft art. All submissions were completed within the past five years.
Each year, a prominent arts administrator from a local gallery or institution is selected by the Athenaeum’s executive director Erika Torri, to serve as a juror. This year’s jurors were Kathryn Kanjo, head of curatorial at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and Joseph Bellows, owner of Joseph Bellows Gallery in La Jolla.
A total of 1,000 artworks by 200 artists were submitted for consideration. Jurors Kathryn Kanjo and Joseph Bellows selected 36 artworks by 23 artists for display in this year’s exhibition. The exhibition will be on view through Sept. 3.
The library is open to the public 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Tuesdays-Saturdays and to 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays. For information, call
or visit
- There is no cost to view the exhibition.
LIST OF PARTICIPATING ARTISTS
Irene Abraham
Do Do That Voodoo
2010
Acrylic, crayon on mylar, collage
36 x 42"
Terry Andrews
Oui
2008
Mixed media
2 x 2"
Unido (2 pieces)
2008
Mixed media
Each 18 x 18"
Ela Boyd
Light Waves (Honorable Mention)
2011
Photo collage
54 x 40"
Neil Brooks
Nine Figures
2010
Oil on canvas
46 x 54"
Mark Bryce
Uncle Sam (Honorable Mention)
2011
Oil on panel
20 x 24"
Philip Custer
Identity Theft
2011
Acrylic on board
48 x 72 x 2-3/4"
Bijan Dowlashahi
Grey Forest, Deep in the Canvas (Honorable Mention)
2007
Mixed media
48 x 48"
Patrick Gilbert
Paint Grade
2011
Birch plywood sculpture
7 x 3 x 2'
Amy Hyde
Pink-Thorpe
2011
Acrylic on canvas
62 x 44"
RT Lonsdale
Bancroft
2011
Photographic Composition
16 x 24"
Grim
2011
Photographic Composition
16 x 24"
Herman
2011
Photographic Composition
16 x 24"
Pat MacGillis
Migrations I
2008
Mixed media
24 x 24"
Migrations III
2008
Mixed media
24 x 24"
Morgan Manduley
A Fire Burned Deep in His Soul Bringing Pain and Suffering to All
2010
Gouache and ink on paper
14 x 20"
Brad Maxey
3 Palms
2007
Acrylic on canvas
48 x 36"
Lawn
2010
Acrylic on canvas
46 x 35"
Joshua Jon Miller
La Nina (3rd Place)
2011
Mixed media
72 x 24 x 36"
Cato at the Gate of Purgatory
2009
Gouache and ink on paper
96 x 74"
Michelle Montjoy
Mula Bandha (Honorable Mention)
2011
Mixed media
24 x 38 x 38"
Jenna Morrow
A Turning Around
2011
Mixed media
29 x 29 x 50"
Colin Tuis Nesbit
Resting their wings where heath and fern-leaves cover Thy noble heart forever, ever more
2010
Graphite on paper
24 x 24"
Here is where we meet (2nd Place)
2008
Stone lithograph
3-3/4 x 3-3/4"
It was the dirty edge of winter
2007
Stone lithograph
22 x 30"
Annie Omens
Ancient History
2010
Digital photo
24 x 36"
Islands Lost and Found
2010
Digital photo
38 x 14-1/2"
Andrew Printer
Emoticon
2011
Pigmented inkjet print
20 x 24"
Heidi Rufeh
Towards Light
2011
Encaustic
16 x 32"
Ancient Well
2011
Encaustic
16 x 32"
Aren Skalman
Penguin Encounter
2010
Mixed media
48 x 37"
James SOE NYUN
Yellowstone Lake Hotel, Yellowstone National Par (1st Place)
2008
Pigment print
16 x 20"
Ranger Station, Yellowstone National Park
2008
Pigment print
16 x 20"
Viewpoint, Shoshone Falls, Idaho
2008
Pigment print
16 x 20"
Cecilia Stanford
Goat Boy
2010
Mixed media
11 x 14"
Serious Hunk (Honorable Mention)
2010
Mixed media
22 x 28"