Finalists Selected for the 2017 Betty Bowen Award

SEATTLE, WA – The Seattle Art Museum (SAM) and the Betty Bowen Committee, chaired by Gary Glant, announced today the five artists selected as finalists for this year’s Betty Bowen Award.

Installation artist Tannaz Farsi (Eugene, OR); painter Klara Glosova (Seattle, WA); collage artist Deborah Faye Lawrence (Seattle, WA); multidisciplinary artist Jono Vaughan (Seattle, WA); and painter and sculptor Ko Kirk Yamahira (Seattle, WA).

The juried award honors a Northwest artist for their original, exceptional, and compelling work. The award was founded in 1977 to honor the legacy of Betty Bowen (1918–1977), who was an avid champion of artists in the Pacific Northwest.

 The Betty Bowen Committee—comprising Northwest curators, collectors, and former Betty Bowen Award winners—reviewed 517 applications from visual artists residing in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.

As in past years, artists of diverse backgrounds were encouraged to apply.

 One of this year’s finalists will receive an unrestricted cash award in the amount of $15,000 and will have their work displayed at the Seattle Art Museum beginning in April 2018. At the discretion of the Betty Bowen Committee, up to two Special Recognition Awards in the amount of $2,500 may be granted.

 The winner of the 39th Annual Betty Bowen Award will be announced in September. The award will be formally presented in a free and open to the public celebration at the Seattle Art Museum on November 9.