Finalists announced for 2020 Blacktown City Art Prize

Published on 28 October 2020

One hundred and thirteen artworks from across Australia have been selected as finalists in the 2020 Blacktown City Art Prize after a record number of entries to the prestigious award.

Artists around the country were invited to submit artwork for the annual $20,000 Blacktown City Art Prize, which celebrates its 25th year in 2020.

The Prize consists of a $15,000 top award and three supporting awards – the Aboriginal Artist Prize, the Local Artist Prize and the People’s Choice Prize.

A total of eight hundred and ninety-seven entries from six hundred and sixty artists were received for this year – an increase of almost seventy per cent on the number submitted in 2019.

The artwork submissions ranged from painting and drawing to sculpture, ceramics and mixed media.

Mayor of Blacktown City, Tony Bleasdale OAM, said he was delighted to see the work of talented homegrown artists living in Blacktown City selected alongside pieces submitted by artists from around Australia.

“Now in its 25th year, the Blacktown City Art Prize is a major cultural event in Western Sydney,” Mayor Bleasdale said.

“To have almost 900 pieces of art entered to the Prize amid what has been a tumultuous and often difficult year is proof that the spirit of creativity and a desire to communicate cannot be dampened by this pandemic.

“As the Mayor of Blacktown City, I am immensely proud that our annual Art Prize keeps growing and attracting work of such a high calibre.

“I am sure the judging panel has a difficult task ahead of them in selecting winners for each category.

“I look forward to seeing all the wonderful artworks on display at the Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre.”

The works were judged by a panel comprising of Kyra Kum-Sing (Artist and Curator, Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative), Pedro de Almeida (Senior Curator, C3West at Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney) and Cath Barcan (Artist and Head Teacher of Visual Arts, Nepean Arts & Design Centre, TAFE NSW-Kingswood).

“The huge number of entries showed just how valuable creativity is to people, especially this year during isolation,” the panel said in a statement.

Twenty five per cent of the selected artworks are by Blacktown City residents, and will be eligible for the Local Artist Prize.

Ten per cent are by Aboriginal artists, and will be eligible for the Aboriginal Artist Prize.

The finalists will be part of an exhibition at the Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre from 28 November 2020 to 28 January 2021.

The top award at the 2019 Blacktown City Art Prize was taken out by Blacktown resident Jamie Eastwood for ‘Blacktown Native Institution 1823-2018 Then and Now’, a mixed media artwork made from acrylic paint, collage and paper ochre.

To view to complete list of one hundred and thirteen finalists visit https://blacktownarts.com.au/blacktown-city-art-prize-finalists-announced.

Prizes awarded:

Blacktown City Art Prize: $15,000

Aboriginal Artist Prize: $2,000

Local Artist Prize: $2,000

People’s Choice Prize: $1,000

The artwork awarded the Blacktown City Art Prize will be acquired for the Blacktown City Art Collection. All other artworks in the exhibition will be available to buy in person at the Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre or online via the Blacktown Arts website for the duration of the exhibition.

For further information visit blacktownarts.com.au/bcap.

Prize winners will be announced online on Saturday, 28 November 2020 at 2pm via the Blacktown Arts Facebook page.

Images from the 2019 Blacktown City Art Prize are available here.

The Young Artists Prize

Young people who live or study in Blacktown City aged between 3 and fifteen are invited to enter the Young Artists Prize. The theme for 2020 is ‘Staying strong’.

The artwork can be a drawing, painting, print, sculpture or ceramic piece.

Artworks are displayed as part of the Blacktown City Art Prize exhibition.

For more information visit https://blacktownarts.com.au/bcap/young-artists-prize/.

2020 BLACKTOWN CITY ART PRIZE KEY DATES

Tuesday 27 October 2020 Finalists announced

Friday 13 and Saturday 14 November 2020, 9am – 5pm Artwork delivered to the Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre, 78 Flushcombe Road, Blacktown. The centre is open Tuesday – Saturday, 10 am – 5 pm.

Saturday 28 November 2020 Prize winners announced online at 2pm

Saturday 28 November 2020 – Thursday 28 January 2021 Exhibition open at the Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre

Friday 29 and Saturday 30 January 2021, 9am – 5pm Artwork collection from the Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre

About Blacktown Arts

Blacktown City Council’s Blacktown Arts is a recognised leader in the development of contemporary arts in Australia. We support artistic innovation and offer exciting, new experiences for audiences through an award-winning curated program of exhibitions, performances, workshops, residencies and events. We are committed to making dynamic, culturally diverse work that reflects Blacktown, its history and its communities. We place Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and communities at the heart of our program to develop new work drawing on issues of local and global significance.