Springfield, MO. (April 9, 2019) – The Springfield Art Museum is pleased to announce that Watercolor USA 2019 will feature 90 works from 80 artists working in aqueous media, representing 34 states. At 90 works, Watercolor USA 2019 is the largest Watercolor USA in recent memory, continuing a recent trend among jurors to give audiences what they want: watercolor - and more of it.
The 58th exhibition of Watercolor USA was juried by award-winning watercolorist Dean Mitchell. Mitchell is a member of the National Watercolor Society and the American Watercolor Society (AWS). He is a recipient of the AWS Gold Medal and received a Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award from the Watercolor USA Honor Society in 2018.
Two hundred and eighty-one artists from 47 states entered 485 works for consideration. Mitchell had the unenviable task of narrowing those entries down into a sampling of the very best in contemporary American watermedia. Unique among the many juried watercolor exhibitions across the country, Watercolor USA is exhibited in a museum setting and the Springfield Art Museum frequently acquires and continues to exhibit work from the show. The Museum purchased work for its permanent collection from Arkansas artist Emily Wood from Watercolor USA 2018.
A number of cash prizes, merchandise, and possible purchase awards from both the Museum and the Watercolor USA Honor Society totaling approximately $20,000 will be announced prior to the opening reception on June 7 at 5:30 PM. This reception has a long history of generous support from the Southwest Missouri Museum Associates.
See Watercolor USA from June 8 through September 1, 2019 at the Springfield Art Museum located at 1111 East Brookside Drive in Springfield, Missouri. A color catalog, a complete record of the exhibition, will be available for purchase in Avant Art, the Museum’s social gallery. Admission is always free. Donations are gratefully accepted.