FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Springfield, MO. (January 4, 2021) – The Springfield Art Museum is pleased to announce a call for entries for Watercolor USA 2021, highlighting the very best in contemporary American watermedia. This year’s exhibit will run from June 5 through August 29, 2021. The deadline to apply is February 21, 2021.
Organized in 1962, this year marks the 60th year of Watercolor USA. The nationally known exhibition is open to artists from all 50 states and U.S. territories, and seeks to discover what is new and what is next in the world of American watermedia. This year’s exhibit will be judged by Nick Nelson, Director of the Springfield Art Museum.
Nelson has been Museum Director since 2012 and has led the Museum through a period of unprecedented growth, including record-breaking attendance and accreditation with the American Alliance of Museums. The Springfield Art Museum is one of only 19 accredited museums in the state of Missouri, and is the only accredited museum in all of southern Missouri. Prior to joining the staff at the Springfield Art Museum, Nelson served as the Executive Director of the Albany Museum of Art in Albany, Georgia. Nelson holds a BFA from Georgia Southwestern State University and a MFA from Georgia Southern University.
Approximately $20,000 in cash prizes, artist materials, and possible Museum purchase awards are available. Top awards include the $3,000 Kenneth M. Shuck Memorial Award, the $2,000 Greg G. Thielen Memorial Award, the $1,500 Bill Armstrong Memorial Award, and the $1,000 Robert E. Goodier Memorial Award For Traditional Transparent Watercolor, among others. Additional cash awards are generously provided by the Watercolor USA Honor Society.
Artists from all 50 states and U.S. territories, ages 18 and up, who are using watermedia as critical components of their work are eligible to apply. Artists whose work pushes the boundaries of traditional aqueous media are encouraged to enter. High realism, abstraction, traditional transparent watercolor, and innovative uses of the medium are all welcomed as the exhibit continues to expand and adjust with contemporary artistic practice, including the use of nontraditional supports and mounts. The Museum routinely purchases work from the Watercolor USA exhibition to expand its robust collection of contemporary American watermedia.
For full information on entry rules, entry fees, and how to submit artwork, please visit https://www.sgfmuseum.org/246/Watercolor-USA. The Springfield Art Museum is located at 1111 East Brookside Drive. Admission is always free. Donations are gratefully accepted.
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The Springfield Art Museum is Springfield, Missouri’s oldest cultural institution, founded in 1928. A department of the City of Springfield, the Museum invites you to connect with the world, your community, and yourself through active engagement with art objects. For more information, please visit www.sgfmuseum.org or contact Joshua Best, Development and Marketing Coordinator, (417) 874-2859 or jbest@springfieldmo.gov.
