Every year, Phillips’ Mill recognizes some of the finest work by area artists with special awards during its Annual Juried Art Show opening reception. This year’s exhibition, the 95th Juried Art Show, which will be held at the historic Mill and online September 21 to October 27, will feature a variety of awards.
Award winners are selected by the show's distinguished panel of jurors and sponsored by supporters of the prestigious show and its artists. Last year, 20 awards totaling $12,000 were presented at the opening preview reception for patrons and artists.
Among this year’s awards will be three Patrons’ Awards of $1,000: one for painting; another for drawing, pastel or printmaking; and a third for sculpture. Other awards include:
Interior Scene, sponsored by Diana and Jim Resek, longtime members of the Phillips’ Mill Community Association. Diana was art show co-chair in 2010 and 2011.
Crystal Springs Farm Award, sponsored by Kathy and Ted Fernberger, also longtime members and Mill supporters, recognizes someone whose work is in the vein of the Pennsylvania Impressionists.
African American Art Award, sponsored by Mary and Herbert Flamer, recognizes a work depicting African American life, history and/or culture. Mary served as art show chair in 2022 and 2023.
Named awards are established with a minimum donation of $500 in consultation with the art committee. Last year, a group of Lumberville residents sponsored an award in memory of Bill Tinsman, who passed away in August. The award was for “an image that captured the beauty of the area he sought to preserve” and was given by the Lumberville Founder’s Day Committee.
Bruce Hamilton, a PMCA board member, and his wife, Pat Hamilton, have sponsored the award for a First-Time Exhibitor in Memory of Russel P. Gilsdorf since 2017. “The award goes back much farther than that,” explains Bruce. “Russel Gilsdorf created the award in the 1990s in honor of his partner Richard Hughes. Russel was a longtime Mill member, and incidentally the moving force behind the publication of the Mill’s beautiful hardcover book, ‘Phillips’ Mill: Celebrating 75 Years of Art,’” he explains. “When Russel was in hospital with what turned out to be his final illness, I wanted him to know that his award was not forgotten, so I told him that Pat and I would be picking it up that year and that I was renaming it to honor him,” he continues. “When he passed, Pat and I decided we would continue the award in his memory and have done so ever since.”
Memorial awards, of which there are several, are a meaningful way to honor someone special while supporting the historic juried art show. Supporting a particular style of artwork — painting, drawing, watercolor, portraiture, ceramics, sculpture, printmaking, etc. — allows patrons to celebrate and encourage the type of work to which they are drawn.
Says Bruce Hamilton regarding their first-time exhibitor award, “It is always heartwarming when we meet the recipient and see their excitement. Some of these artists have been submitting works for several years before finally being accepted, and receiving an award is the icing on the cake.”
Anyone interested in establishing an award and contributing to an artist’s sense of accomplishment at this year’s 95th Juried Art Show is welcome. For more information, contact Dennis Riley, Art Show Chair, by August 25 at artshow@phillipsmill.org.
