2022 WSFF Art Exhibition Award Winners on Display at Fable Coffee

The award winners for the 2022 Wild & Scenic Film Festival Art Exhibition were announced on Thursday, January 13^th, during an online ceremony hosted jointly by the Nevada County Arts Council and the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL). Three expert art judges – Joshua Harrison, Consuelo (Chelo) Montoya, and John Natsoulas – selected the seven recipients.

The Award Winners are:

• Best of Theme (Currents of Hope): Eric Engles’ “Kellogg Oak in Spring”
• Photography: Kirk Keeler’s “Alpine Trees in Snow, Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe”
• Two-Dimensional: Linda Galusha’s “Fractured Rescue”
• Three-Dimensional: Deborah Bridges’ “Within”
• Judges Award – Josh Harrison: Jennifer Rugge’s “Remember: Hope from Ancient Ancestral Roots”
• Judges Award – Chelo Montoya: Rachel Pellow’s “At Home in the Wild”
• Judges Award – John Natsoulas: LeeAnn Brook’s “Bolinas Lagoon”

Award recipients shared their sources of inspiration with attendees during the ceremony. Kirk Keeler’s photograph “Alpine Trees in Snow, Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe” portrays the inherent beauty of the landscape. Rachel Pellow’s “At Home in the Wild” is a photograph of sculptures she creates from materials foraged from wild landscapes and serves as a type of environmental portrait of wild spaces. Jennifer Rugge’s “Remember: Hope from Ancient Ancestral Roots,” is inspired by ancient art, languages, and signs. It was created with natural mineral paints and handmade paper that gives the piece texture and depth that interacts with the ancient reindeer dancing across the surface.

“We received over 100 entries this year, which made choosing the award winners quite difficult,” said Eliza Tudor, Nevada County Arts Council Executive Director, “especially given the high quality of the submissions.”

“We are excited to share these incredible works of art with the community at Fable Coffee,” said Lívia Campos de Menezes, the Wild & Scenic Film Festival Director. “Being able to view the works in person offers people the opportunity to interact with the size and scale of the pieces as well as better appreciate the intricacies of the materials.”

The winning art is now on display at Fable Coffee at 233 Broad Street in Nevada City through January 30, 2022.  To view the online gallery and/or purchase the winning pieces and other artworks, go to https://www.wildandscenicfilmfestival.org/2022artexhib/

The Wild & Scenic Film Festival runs virtually through January 23. Tickets and information available at https://wsff.eventive.org/passes/buy