5 finalists selected for MI Great Artist
The MI Great Artist competition has narrowed down 25 artists to five that will compete to be the 2015 contest winner.
Established in 2012 by Park West Gallery Founder and CEO Albert Scaglione and Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, the MI Great Artist online competition is a quality of life event that shines a light on the talented artists that reside in southeastern Michigan.
The finalists are:
- Meredith Bailey, watercolor, Rochester Hills
- Michael Bollerud, pencil on paper, Garden City
- Kenneth Hershenson, acrylic on canvas, Clawson
- Jennifer Whaley, graphite drawings, of Rochester Hills
- Larry Zdeb, mixed media collage, Troy
Zdeb is a 2014 MI Great Artist finalist.
The five finalists will have their entries on display at Park West Gallery in Southfield, Michigan from December 1 to January 8, 2016. The public is invited to view the entries and attend an awards ceremony at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, December 8, where the grand prize winner will be announced.
“These are supremely talented individuals,” Patterson says. “Their skill and passion is evident in the incredible works they’ve created. I encourage everyone to go to Park West Gallery and see these wonderful pieces in person.”
From left, Park West Gallery Founder and CEO Albert Scaglione and Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson
The finalists emerged from a field of 109 artists from Genesee, Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair and Wayne. After more than 22,000 votes from the public, 25 artists were chosen as semi-finalists. From there, a five-member panel of judges selected the finalists.
The judges include: Scaglione, Founder and CEO of Park West Gallery; Elliot Broom, Detroit Institute of Arts vice president of museum operations; Dominic Pangborn, artist and founder of Pangborn Design Collection; Kristie Everett Zamora, founding Editor of Prosper magazine in Oakland County; and Don Tocco, artist and founder of Tocco and Associates, Inc.
More than $16,000 in cash and prizes are available to the winners, including the opportunity to have their work exhibited at Park West Gallery.
The grand prize winner will receive:
- $1,500 cash prize
- Framing of the five works of art that were included in the submission from Park West Gallery
- Solo exhibition at Park West Gallery
- Scholarships for three workshops at Oakland County’s One Stop Shop Business Center
- A two-month exhibition at Oakland County Galleria in Waterford
- Their artwork featured on a poster promoting an Oakland County quality of life event, printed by Park West Gallery
Each of the four finalists will receive:
- $375 cash prize
- Framing of the five works of art that were included in the submission from Park West Gallery
- A scholarship for a workshop at Oakland County’s One Stop Shop Business Center
- A two-month exhibition at Oakland County Galleria in Waterford
For more information, visit www.migreatartist.com and www.parkwestgallery.com.
