The prestigious regional art awards the Neddys are moving from Tacoma to Seattle.
The Neddys were founded to honor the legacy of the late Seattle painter Robert E. (Ned) Behnke. Since 1996, the annual awards have given two painters and one other artist each a cash award and exhibition. For the last five years, the Behnke Foundation has worked in partnership with Tacoma Art Museum to host both the award ceremony and the associated exhibition.
However, starting in 2012, the awards will be hosted at Seattle’s Cornish College of the Arts and renamed The Neddy at Cornish, the Foundation announced Wednesday.
“The Behnke Foundation is pleased to turn the Neddy over to Cornish College of the Arts, and we look forward to Cornish helping to continue Ned’s vision of the arts through the growth and expansion of the Neddy award,” said foundation trustee and the artist’s mother, Sally S. Behnke.
Over the past year, Behnke had invited TAM, Cornish and Seattle grant organization Artist Trust to submit proposals for future visions for the Neddy.
“We came up with a strong proposal … based on our skill sets and legacy,” said Stephanie Stebich, TAM’s director. “We’re disappointed, but we will talk about how to do a Northwest artist prize (in the future) that would reflect our mission.”
Foundation director Michelle McBride could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Beginning with the next award in June, Cornish plans to increase the grant money from $15,000 to $25,000; open the nomination process through an open call for applications (previously, nominated artists also received $1,000); open the non-painting award to any medium, rather than restricting it to a chosen single medium each year; and allow the winning artists access to Cornish resources throughout the year in addition to offering the annual award exhibition.
The open call for applications for the next Neddy will begin Dec. 5.
The prestigious nature of the Neddys can be seen in the list of past honorees, including Richard Marquis, Akio Takamori, April Surgent, Whiting Tennis and Claire Cowie.
Rosemary Ponnekanti: 253-597-8568
rosemary.ponnekanti@thenewstribune.com
