Artadia Awardee

Civilian Joshua Osborne playing the role of an Iraqi civilian, Wadi Al-Sahara, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, CA, 2008

I am very happy to report that I am among the seven recipients of the Boston Artadia Award, along with Ambreen Butt, Caleb Cole, Raul Gonzalez, Eric Gottesman, Amie Siegel and Joe Zane.  I’d like to thank the participating curators as well and the staff of Artadia, especially Lila Kanner and Ute Zimmermann, whom I got to know through the studio visit process, and also the LEF Foundation.  Receiving this award means so much to me, not the least of which is that I will be able to continue with my very expensive studio practice!

From the Artadia press release:

New York, NY—Artadia: The Fund for Art and Dialogue is delighted to announce the Artadia Awards2009 Boston. For three consecutive days (July 29-Aug 1, 2009), three internationally prominent jurors— Peter Eleey (Visual Arts Curator, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis), Rita Gonzalez (Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art), and Randi Hopkins (Associate Curator, Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston)—conducted studio visits with 15 short-listed artists drawn from nearly 600 applicants in the metro Boston area. This is Artadia’s second cycle in Boston following the inaugural awards cycle in 2007.

Artadia Founder and Board President Christopher E. Vroom commented: “The vibrancy of Boston’s cultural community is reflected in the outstanding caliber of artistic production evidenced by the seven Artadia Award recipients. We are proud to support artists and the process of art-making both here and around the country. Artists, in their capacity as creative producers, educators, civic leaders, and mentors, truly represent a foundation upon which our creative legacy will rest. We are indebted to them and they must be supported, particularly during times of economic turmoil.”

“Boston is home to so many gifted visual artists,” said Thomas M. Menino, Mayor of Boston. “I wish to congratulate the awardees on their achievement and thank Artadia for highlighting our vibrant arts community.”