2013 MICHIGAN FINE ARTS COMPETITION
June 28-August 23
FOR THE FIRST TIME, ARTISTS ARE INVITED FROM FIVE STATES: Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin
CLICK LINK BELOW FOR PROSPECTUS & INSTRUCTIONS FOR ONLINE ENTRY
MFAC 2012 AWARD WINNERS
First Place $5,000.00 - Lynn Spanke for "We Believe in Dreams"
Second Place $2,500 - Armin Mersman, "Afterflood"
Third Place $1,000 - Sandy Rice, "Pagan Wedding"
Third Place $1,000 - Chuck Sharbaugh, "Across America"
Fourth Place $500 - Ruth Tyszka, "Tracey's Summer Patio Party"
The Michigan Fine Arts Competition (MFAC) is a showcase of current work created by artists as well as an educational opportunity for local, regional and national audiences, presented by the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center.
2013 MFAC Juror: Brad Durham
Exposed early on to the vibrant Bay Area Figurative Movement, artists such as David Park, Richard Diebenkorn, and Wayne Thiebaud fueled his passion to be an artist. In 1972 Durham attended Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles to study painting and then Humboldt State to study Philosophy. It was here that he developed his thoughts about aesthetics. Durham’s first large studio was in San Diego where he developed his skills and visual language. In 1985 Durham would move to the downtown Los Angeles loft district.
Durham was invited by Howard Fox from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to participate in the 1987 international exhibition titled AVANT-GARDE IN THE EIGHTIES. The exposure from this show launched Durham’s career in Los Angeles and nationally. A year later he returned to Art Center College of Design as a full time instructor, a position he held for ten years.
In his 32 year career, Durham has had 47 solo exhibitions and participated in more than 140 group shows nationally. During this time he has never swayed from his focus – “to create idea of a purposeful and sensual dialogue; a meditation on sublimity and grace.”
Currently Durham lives and works in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
His website: BradDurham.com
History of the MFAC
The Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center hosts the Michigan Fine Arts Competition annually since 1982 when the Detroit Institute of Arts turned the statewide competition over to the BBAC. For 30 years, 600 artists from all over Michigan entered the competition annually. Many competition winners have gone on to national prominence as a result of this competition. Each year, the MFAC is juried by artist(s) or curator(s) of distinction, who select current work of the highest quality. Cash awards support working artists, while recognizing the contributions they make to the cultural fabric of our region.
MFAC Jurors
1983 Philip Pearlstein
1984 Miriam Schapiro
1985 Richard Anuskiewicz
1986 Romare Bearden
1987 Judy Pfaff
1988 Alice Aycock
1989 Patterson Sims
1990 Gracie Mansion
1991 Alvin Loving
1992 Gladys Nilsson
1993 Laura Trippi
1994 Ellen Phelan
1995 James DelGrosso
1996 Jane Hammond
1997 John Walker
1998 Larry Rivers
1999 Nancy Mitchnick
2000 Howardena Pindell
2001 Brenda Goodman
2002 Nick Cave
2003 Richard Nonas
2004 Al Hinton & Sei Saito
2005 Susan Wilczak
2006 Jerry Berger
2007 Gerry Craig, Rebecca Hart, Janet Teunis & Susan VanArendonk
2008 Brian Rutenberg
2009 Tony DeBlasi
2010 Sondra Freckleton
2011 John Palmer
2012 Mi-Kyoung Lee
