Opportunities Available To Sponsor Awards At 95th Phillips' Mill Show

SOLEBURY TOWNSHIP, PA — Honors and awards have been a vital component of the annual

Juried Art Show at Phillips’ Mill for decades, recognizing some of the finest work by area artists,
as well as honoring people important to the Phillips’ Mill Community Association and its
patrons.

This year’s show, the 95th Juried Art Show to be held at the historic Mill and online September 21 to October 27, will feature a wide variety of awards. Art lovers interested in establishing new awards for this year’s show can do so now through August 25.

In addition to an Honored Artist and Signature Image artist, who are selected by the art show committee, a full roster of awards for works juried into the show are bestowed each year. Which works will receive these awards is determined by the art show’s distinguished panel of jurors and are funded by patrons of the show, individuals, businesses, and sometimes families, who enjoy supporting the Mill, the show, and the artists in this unique way.

"Rosie's Nine" by Robert Beck.

Last year, 20 awards totaling $12,000 were presented at the opening preview reception for patrons and artists, a festive event held annually the evening before the show opens to the public. Three Patrons’ Awards of $1,000 each are presented: one for painting, another for drawing, pastel or printmaking, and a third for sculpture. These are financed by the scores of contributors who answer the fundraising call for support of this historic art exhibition each year. An additional Phillips’ Mill Community Association sculpture award is financed by the Mill Board of Directors.

The balance of the awards, some long-running, others changing year to year, are funded by individuals interested in sponsoring a named award.

Diana and Jim Resek, long-time members, have funded the Award for an Interior Scene since 2014. Diana was art show co-chair in 2010 and 2011. Kathy and Ted Fernberger, also long-time members and Mill supporters, have sponsored the Crystal Springs Farm Award for numerous years “to recognize someone whose work is in the vein of the Pennsylvania Impressionists,” says Kathy. Mary and Herbert Flamer introduced a new award in 2021 and continue to support it, now named the African American Art Award for a work depicting African American life, history, and/or culture. Mary served as art show chair in 2022 and 2023.

"Harmony-in-Bloom" by Ting Ting Hsu.

Named awards are established with a minimum donation of $500 in consultation with the art committee. Last year, a group of Lumberville residents sponsored an award in memory of Bill Tinsman who passed away in August. The award was for “an image that captured the beauty of the area he sought to preserve” given by the Lumberville Founder’s Day Committee.

Bruce Hamilton, a PMCA board member, and his wife, Pat Hamilton, have sponsored the Award for a First-Time Exhibitor in Memory of Russell P. Gilsdorf since 2017.

“The award goes back much farther than that,” explains Bruce. “Russel Gilsdorf created the award in the 1990s in honor of his partner Richard Hughes. Russel was a long-time Mill member, and incidentally the moving force behind the publication of the Mill’s beautiful hardcover book, Phillips’ Mill: Celebrating 75 Years of Art,” he explained.

“When Russel was in hospital with what turned out to be his final illness, I wanted him to know that his award was not forgotten, so I told him that Pat and I would be picking it up that year, and that I was renaming it to honor him,” he continues. “When he passed, Pat and I decided we would continue the award in his memory and have done so ever since.”

Memorial awards, of which there are several, are a meaningful way to honor someone special while supporting the historic juried art show. Supporting a particular subject matter or style of artwork - painting, drawing, watercolor, portraiture, ceramics, sculpture, printmaking, etc. – allows patrons to celebrate and encourage the type of work to which they are drawn.

Art show patron Marvin Harold Cheiten supports an award for a watercolor. Ron and Barbara Rintala sponsored an award last year for a work in any medium depicting a body of water in nature.

Says Bruce Hamilton, regarding their “first-time exhibitor” award, “It is always heartwarming when we meet the recipient and see their excitement. Some of these artists have been submitting works for several years before finally being accepted, and receiving an award is icing on the cake.”

Anyone interested in establishing an award and contributing to an artist’s sense of accomplishment at this year’s 95th Juried Art Show should contact Dennis Riley, Art Show Chair, by August 25 at artshow@phillipsmill.org.

Phillips’ Mill Community Association, 2619 River Road, New Hope, PA 18938, (215) 862-0582, www.phillipsmill.org .