Three artists have a new honor to add to their resumes after earning top awards from Cincinnati arts nonprofit Manifest.
The organization, founded in 2004 on Woodburn Avenue by local university professors and students seeking to make a positive community impact on Cincinnati’s art scene, has been presenting a ‘Grand Jury Award’ since its 13th season.
For this seventh leg of the 22nd season, artist Maya Perez-Lugones from Fayetteville, Ark., was presented with the Grand Jury Award and a $1,000 cash prize for her work “Half Bathroom: Fall,” pictured above. Finalists included Cincinnati’s own Megan Wolfkill; Anna Lee-Hoelzle from Cottage Grove, Ore.; Jacob Crook from Starkville, Miss.; and Jake Jessop, a senior at Missouri State University.
Jessop received the Director’s Choice award for his work “Punctured Dome,” made of oxidized copper.
“At a personal level, this work … calls to me, insisting itself into the conversation of the room, even at its small size, or maybe because of it,” said Manifest’s Executive Director Jason Franz in a statement. “Like our previous season’s award, as a sculpture and a drawing, this work engages both the body and the eye. There’s a level of maturity and sophistication in the work that blends a raw playfulness with a measured, skillful restraint that invites special attention, and that marks the work as exceptional.”
The organization also presented a Best of Show award for its exhibition “Rites of Passage,” which showcases new or emerging artists. This year’s winner was Rachel Miller, a graduate of Bowling Green State University, for her work “Nada Permanece Como Era.” She received a $500 cash prize.
Manifest, which is also a creative research gallery and drawing center, is located at 2727 Woodburn Avenue.
For more information on the organization, visit the official website.
