AVAA hosted its third Austin Visual Arts Awards at the AT&T Executive Conference Center on November 15th, 2012. The event, led by Master of Ceremonies Carla Stanmyre McDonald (YNN’s Arts Minute host), was a gathering of some of the most influential people in the Austin visual arts scene. The presenters included Umlauf Sculpture Garden’s Executive Director Nelie Plourde, Austin Chronicle Arts Editor Robert Faires, University of Texas Professor of Visual Art Studies Dr. Christopher Adejumo, and Austin Arts Commissioner Bruce Willenzik. Award winners, chosen by gallery owners, museum staff, art writers, etc., were presented with bronze medals designed by sculptor Bob Coffee.
2012 Austin Visual Arts Awards Winners:
Lifetime Achievement – Sam Coronado
President’s Award of Excellence – Jack White
Service to the Arts Award – Bob Coffee
Collectors Circle Award – John Christensen
Artist of the Year, New Media – Wura-Natasha Ogunji
Artist of the Year, Early Career – Katie Rose Pipkin
Artist of the Year, Photography- Barry Stone
Artist of the Year, Printmaking – Miguel Aragon
Artist of the Year, 3-Dimensional Art – Michael A. Garcia
Artist of the Year, 2-Dimensional Art – Leah Haney
The 2012 finalists were as follows:
Artist of the Year – 2D
Werllayne Nunes, Hector Hernandez, Caroline Wright
Artist of the Year – 3D
James Edward Talbot, Jamie Panzer, Margaret Meehan, John A. Maisano
Artist of the Year – Photography and Printmaking
Mike Osborne, William Hundley, Carol Hayman, Eleanor Droll
Artist of the Year –New Media Arts
Ivete Lucas, Ezra Masch, Robert Melton
Artist of the Year – Early Career
Ink Tank Collective, Colin Doyle
Collectors Circle Award
Lawrence McFarland, Ishmael Soto, Claude van Lingen, Catherine Lee
