The Contemporaries of the Columbia Museum of Art are pleased to announce the ninth annual Contemporaries’ Artist of the Year Soirée and Silent Auction.
This event is designed to increase awareness of and support for emerging artist in South Carolina and to promote the Contemporaries’ membership. The Contemporaries' Artist of the Year (CAY) annual Soiree and Silent Auction provides a venue for emerging artists across the state of South Carolina to gain exposure and promote their artwork. Additionally, it provides a unique opportunity for attendees to preview the next generation of South Carolina artists and to acquire original artwork that will be in their collection for generations, without breaking the bank.
This year's Soirée will take place on Friday, April 13th.
RSVP to our Facebook Event to see which of your friends will also be in attendance. Tickets can be purchased by on the Columbia Museum of Art's website or by calling the museum at 803.799.2810.
“CAY is a great way to expose contemporary art from all over the state to residents of the Midlands. It’s also a great party,” -- 2011 CAY chair, Debi Schadel
In 2011, the CAY jury included – Museum curator of decorative arts Brian Lang; artist/gallery owner Robert Lange from Charleston; artist JJ Ohlinger from Taylors; artist, educator and curator Karen Ann Myers from Charleston; and Wim Roefs, owner of if ART Gallery in Columbia, S.C. The jury selected 100 pieces of artwork from a pool of over 200 pieces to be in the silent auction and then selected Netherland as the Contemporaries’ Artist of the Year, based upon the following criteria: originality of concept, technical execution, consistency, professionalism, and the degree to which the work was aesthetically interesting.
"This signature event is very important to the Contemporaries because a portion of the proceeds goes directly toward our Art Acquisition Fund to purchase art for the Museum,” Joan Boyer, Contemporaries president, said. “We had so much success with the acquisition of the Dale Chihuly chandelier for the Museum, and we’re in the process of gearing up for another project focusing on contemporary art. We're hoping to add another substantial piece of art to the Museum's collection in the near future," she added.
Download our 2012 CAY Info Sheet.
Download our 2012 CAY Accepted Pieces.
2012 Sponsors:
The Contemporaries Artist of the Year award is provided in part through the generous support of Alex and Anne Postic. Additional sponsors include The Opera program at USC, The Whitney Hotel, Tabitha Safdi Photography, and Jasper Magazine