Washington artists dominate Portland museum awards
Four out of five recipients of Portland Art Museum’s 2008 Contemporary Northwest Art Awards are from Washington state. Dan Attoe is from Washougal, Clark County; Cat Clifford is from Vashon Island; Jeffry Mitchell and Whiting Tennis live in Seattle; and Marie Watt is from Portland.
“The Portland Art Museum’s commitment to collecting and exhibiting the art of the region dates to our founding more than 115 years ago,” PAM director Brian J. Ferriso said in a news release. “It, therefore, gives the Museum great pleasure to reaffirm that dedication with the Contemporary Northwest Art Awards, which is part of a larger, evolving strategy of collecting, presenting and educating our audiences about contemporary Northwest art and artists.”
Recent work by each of the artists will be featured in an exhibition and catalog next year. Each will receive an honorarium, and one artist will be chosen for a cash prize of $10,000, in honor of Portland patron Arlene Schnitzer.
Sheila Farr, Seattle Times art critic