56th Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival Announces Juried Visual Art Exhibition Awards

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is pleased to announce the recipients of 'Best in Show' and 'Juror's Award' from the Juried Visual Art Exhibition, part of the 56th annual Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival, a production of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

The Juried Visual Art Exhibition 'Best in Show' was awarded to Ivette Spradlin (Pittsburgh, PA) and Athena Frances Harden (Pittsburgh, PA) for their video You are Gone, I am Here (2014); and the 'Juror's Award' was presented to Robert Sholties (Glenshaw, PA) for his painting Out of Balance (2014).

"I'm happy to be part of this year's Juried Exhibition and grateful to these artists, near and far, who shared their work with us," commented Astria Suparak, Juror for the 2015 Juried Visual Art Exhibition. "These are the works that captured my attention during the 'blind' jury process, without knowing who the artists were or anything about their careers. From painting and sculpture, to fiber work and carved wood furniture, to relational aesthetics and digital landscapes, you'll see a range of work from here to Tehran."

Ivette Spradlin and Athena Frances Harden's video You are Gone, I am Here (2014) is a collaborative project that serves as a "representation of connection," the artists write. Despite their distance during the making of this video, they each shot daily footage of the sky, something that they both saw every day, and sent the videos (shot on iPhones) to each other as postcards. What is revealed beyond their different surroundings and lives is their visual tendencies as well as their desires. To watch the video You are Gone, I am Here, visit: https://vimeo.com/129478583.

Artist Robert Sholties describes his hyper-detailed dream landscape painting Out of Balance (2014),"When thoughtfulness, logic and reason are abandoned." It is one of three allegorical paintings of his in this year's Juried Visual Art Exhibition.

Astria Suparak, Juror for the 2015 Juried Visual Art Exhibition, has curated exhibitions, screenings, live music events and performances for art spaces, film festivals, and academic venues internationally. She was previously the director and curator of Carnegie Mellon's Miller Gallery, where she curated The Yes Men's first solo exhibition, Whatever It Takes: Steelers Fan Collections, Rituals, and Obsessions, and the nationally touring Alien She, among other exhibitions. www.astriasuparak.com

The Juried Visual Art Exhibition is free and open to the public during the festival (June 5-14, 2015), from Noon to 8:00pm in the Trust Arts Education Center, 805-807 Liberty Avenue, 4th Floor, downtown Pittsburgh's Cultural District.

The Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival, a 10-day celebration of the arts in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is unlike any other in the nation, recently being nominated by USA Today.com for being the Best Art Festival in the nation.

This year, the Artist Market, Juried Art Exhibition, and Festival Special Projects will draw from a unique Festival theme of UNSEEN/UNHEARD. This theme speaks to the idea of the exploration and vocalization of narratives that are not heard, or are marginalized. Topics related to the theme may include and are not limited to historical and colonial narratives never heard before, social justice issues, homelessness, or mental illness. The theme is also inherently geared towards emerging artists and the artistic possibilities involved in UNSEEN/UNHEARD are endless.

About The Juried Visual Art Exhibition
This is the first year in nearly two decades that the exhibition, founded in 1962, opened its applications to artists living outside of the Pittsburgh region. The expanded call resulted in 500 entries from 39 states and from as far as Tehran. This is also the first time in several years the entire festival has an overarching framework: Unseen/Unheard. Under this motif, artists who had never exhibited at TRAF were encouraged to apply, and artworks that explored unheard narratives or brought into greater visibility individuals, cultures and social issues were welcomed. From this great pool of entries, 36 works by 28 artists were selected through a "blind" jury process, with the artists' identities undisclosed and regardless of resume or career level.

From painting and sculpture, to fiber work and carved wood furniture, to relational aesthetics and digital landscapes, the projects on view run a gamut of contemporary art and craft. Astria Suparak served as the 2015 JVAE Juror and the exhibition was designed by Carin Mincemoyer, JVAE Exhibition Coordinator.

2015 JVAE Artists: Susan Baus, Thomas Bigatel, Jacob Brown, David Burke, Cynthia Cable, Carolyn Carson, Zhiwan Cheung, Lawrence Cwik, Steve Gurysh, Faraz Habiballahian, Lindsey Hayakawa, Anna Kell, Colleen Kelsey, Saberah Malik, Julie Mallis, Matthias Neumann, Quoctrung Nguyen, Meghan Olson, Keunho Peter Park, Rachel Rampleman, Melissa Riggatire, Robert Sholties, Bill Snyder, Gerri Spilka, Ivette Spradlin and Athena Frances Harden, Julian Stropes, Ronald Wasiluk and Shawn Watrous.

People's Choice Award - Voting Open to the Public
The Juried Visual Art Exhibition provides the public with an opportunity to vote for their favorite artwork on display during this year's festival. The 'People's Choice' award vote can be done on-site using the convenient tablets and by smartphone or online at TrustArts.org/voteTRAF. The 'People's Choice' award-winning artist will receive a cash prize as well as the opportunity to show new work at the 2016 Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival.

The multi-disciplinary festival is free to attend and is open to the public. Attracting over 400,000 visitors annually, the Festival begins on the first Friday in June and takes place at the confluence of Pittsburgh's famed three rivers in Point State Park, throughout picturesque Gateway Center, and in the city's world-renowned Cultural District.

The Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival is made possible by the generous support of Peoples Natural Gas (Artist Market Presenter), Giant Eagle (Creativity Zone Presenter); Foundation Partners including The Bessie F. Anathan Charitable Trust of the Pittsburgh Foundation, Buhl Foundation, Calgon Carbon Corporation, Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, Colcom Foundation, FISA Foundation, The Grable Foundation, The Laurel Foundation and The Pittsburgh Foundation. Festival Supporters include Calgon Carbon and Sensodyne.

The Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival is also supported by several festival and media partners, all of who can be found on the current supporter's page at TrustArts.org/TRAF.

For up to date information and a full schedule (including locations, dates and times) for the festival, visit www.TrustArts.org/TRAF.