Mosaic Art NOW Releases Results for 2011 Exhibition in Print

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 9, 2010

WAKEFIELD, MA . . . . Michael Welch, Publisher/Editor of Mosaic Art NOW has released the names of the eight international artists who will appear in the 2011 Exhibition in Print sponsored by LATICRETE, Int. as well the two Best in Show Artists selected by the judges.

Bernice Steinbaum, PhD, internationally known art dealer, advocate, and owner of the Bernice Steinbaum Gallery in Miami, Florida selected the following five mosaic artists:  Jo Braun (USA), Luca Barberini (Italy), Lilian Broca (Canada),  Lynne Chinn (USA), and Mona Magdi Kenawy (Egypt).  Dr. Steinbaum’s choice for Best in Show Artist is Luca Barberini.  One of his submitted works is seen below.

Best in Show Artist selected by Bernice Steinbaum:   

Luca Barberini (Italy)
Folla (Crowd) 250W x 120H x 4D centimeters
Glass smalti and marble.

Luca Barberini creates a contemporary image in mosaic.  Like many contemporary painters he has “formalized” how to use his materials.  Although he uses 5 tesserae for a face we are very aware of each figure’s individuality through color and form. In his larger work the viewer gets the sense that it is abstract work, perhaps a pointillist painting, on further examination we find individual people with delineated faces, each having their own personalities. -- Bernice Steinbaum.

The team of Emma Biggs, acclaimed mosaic artist, author and teacher and her husband, Matthew Colllings, artist, art historian and BBC commentator selected the following five artists:  Jo Braun (USA), Cynthia Fisher (USA), Mona Magdi Kenawy (Egypt), the group CaCO3 (Italy) and Ilana Shafir (Israel).  Biggs and Collings selected Jo Braun (USA) as their Best in Show Artist.  One of her submitted works is shown below.

Best in Show Artist selected by Emma Biggs and Matthew Collings:  Jo Braun (USA)
Mosaic Plastered Over  56h x 39w x 3d inches

Remnant acrylic joint compound on Mosaic of Remnants.

Jo’s work is experimental, coherent, enquiring and technically adept. She is interested in process based, slightly conceptual work. Her plastered over mosaic is an experiment along the lines of Rauschenberg’s ‘Erased de Kooning Drawing’. She combines a humorous, enquiring scepticism, with a sincere interest in the nature of materials. -- Emma Biggs and Matthew Collings

Over 100 artists from 19 countries submitted portfolios consisting of three art works, an Artist Statement and written descriptions of each piece.  This year’s Exhibition in Print is unique in that the two judging entities made their selections entirely independent of each other and will be presented that way in the magazine.

“We wanted to give MAN readers the benefit of seeing how judges from different vantage points in the art world make critical decisions,” said Welch.  “A common theme for all of the selected artists is that of exploration -- whether it is a theme, a process, a material or the traditional use of the medium itself.  This is a group of artists pushing the boundries of an ancient art form to uncover exciting new points of relevancy in the contemporary world.”

Each selected artist will receive a four-page article in the 2011 edition of Mosaic Art Now.  Best in Show winners will receive cash prizes of $500 (US).   Steinbaum, Biggs and Collings received a professional fee for their services. 

Mosaic Art NOW 2011 will be released in mid-February and will be available for sale during the Vendor Show of the annual conference of the Society of American Mosaic Artists in Austin, Texas.  Additional sales points will be announced later.

In addition to the Exhibition in Print, this year’s content will include a tribute to Mosaic Art NOW founding publisher Bill Buckingham who passed away earlier this year.  “Bill was the heart and soul of the magazine,” said Welch “Our goal is to produce a publication that he would be proud of.  We are grateful for the continued support of the mosaic community and the Exhibition Sponsor LATICRETE, Int.”

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Contact: Nancie Mills Pipgras
Phone: (916) 715-3284 (PST)
E-Mail: nancie@mosaicartnow.com