Society 1858 announces winner of the 1858 Prize for Contemporary Southern Art at the Unveiling Party
August 20, 2015
CHARLESTON, SC – The Gibbes Museum of Art and Society 1858 announced the 2015 short list of finalists for the 1858 Prize for Contemporary Southern Art in June. The winner of the $10,000 art prize will be announced on September 17 at an unveiling party at The Drawing Room at The Vendue in downtown Charleston. Following the announcement, join the 2015 winner for an intimate three-course dinner with wine pairings in The Gallery at The Vendue. “The unveiling party is a great opportunity to mingle with art lovers and be the first to meet this year’s 1858 Prize winner,” says Society 1858 President, Jamieson Clair.
The 1858 Prize for Contemporary Southern Art, awarded annually with a cash prize of $10,000, acknowledges an artist whose work demonstrates the highest level of artistic achievement in any media, while contributing to a new understanding of art in the South. Over 275 artists from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia submitted applications during this time period.
The six artists selected for the 2015 1858 Prize for Contemporary Southern Art short list are Aldwyth, Andrea Keys Connell, Kevin Jerome Everson, George Jenne, Deborah Luster, and Ebony G. Patterson. The artists were selected by a distinguished panel of judges including Charles Ailstock, Society 1858 Board member; Jamieson Clair, Society 1858 Board President; Sonya Clark, artist and 2014 Prize winner; Miranda Lash, Curator of Contemporary Art, The Speed Art Museum; Cary Levine, Associate Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Mark Sloan, Director and Chief Curator, Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art; and Pam Wall, Curator of Exhibitions at the Gibbes Museum of Art. The winner of the 1858 Prize will be announced on September 17 during an event hosted by Society 1858 and the Gibbes Museum of Art.
1858 Prize for Contemporary Southern Art Unveiling Party
Thursday, September 17, 6pm
$25 Society 1858 Members, $35 Non-Members
The Drawing Room at The Vendue, 19 Vendue Range
1858 Prize Dinner
Thursday, September 17, 7:30pm
$100 Society 1858 Members, $135 Non-Members
The Gallery at The Vendue, 26 Vendue Range
Following the 1858 Prize announcement, join the 2015 winner for an intimate three-course dinner with wine pairings at 7:30pm. (Dinner ticket grants access to the Unveiling Party at 6pm)
To purchase tickets please visit gibbesmuseum.org/events or call 843.722.2706 x221
About Society 1858
Society 1858 is a group of dynamic young professionals who support the Gibbes Museum of Art with social and educational programs tailored for up-and-coming art patrons. Membership to Society 1858 is open to any member of the Gibbes Museum of Art. Society 1858 takes its name from the year that the Carolina Art Association was established. Although the Gibbes Museum of Art opened its doors in 1905, the museum’s art collection began in 1858. Society 1858 aims to continue the strong legacy of art appreciation in Charleston. Members of Society 1858 have access to private exhibition previews and receptions, invitations to social events throughout the year, and free or reduced admission to Society 1858’s exciting programs.
About Gibbes Museum of Art
Established as the Carolina Art Association in 1858, the Gibbes Museum of Art opened its doors to the public in 1905. In the fall of 2014, the Gibbes temporarily closed for major renovations and will reopen its doors in the spring of 2016. The renovation project is designed to showcase the museum’s collection, provide visitors with a history of American art from the early colonial era to the present, and engage the public with a center for education, artist studios, lecture and event space, a museum café, and store. During the renovation the museum will offer programs such as the Insider Art Series, Art With a Twist, Art of Healing, events including the Art of Design and annual Gibbes on the Street Party, and educational offerings such as Art to Go and Eye Spy Art. Highlights of the Gibbes permanent collection can be viewed on Google Art Project at www.googleartproject.com.
