Winners named in 2013 Young Sculptors Competition
"The Garden" 2011, organic silk, beeswax, natural dyes and found objects. By Chris Thorson, winner of the 2013 Miami University Young Sculptors Competition.
Chris Thorson of Oakland, Calif., is the winner of the 2013 Miami University Young Sculptors Competition for the $10,000 William (Miami '36) and Dorothy Yeck Award. Winners of the competition, sponsored by Miami’s College of Creative Arts, were announced Sept. 13. Thorson was selected for her work "The Garden."
Thorson received a bachelor's degree in fine arts from Washington University and an MFA at San Francisco Art Institute, and she attended the Yale / Norfolk Summer fellowship program in painting. She teaches painting at the Oxbow School in Napa, Calif.
As an artist, she is "interested in the ways that utilitarian objects hold cultural significance and mark personal experience. Remaking objects such as T-shirts, plastic bags or cigarette butts allows me to test the boundaries between what we overlook and what we esteem."
"Untitled (Baltic Granite)" 2011, Formica laminate, extruded polystyrene and tape. By Olivia Moore, second place winner in the Young Sculptors Competition.
Thorson’s work has been selected for juried exhibitions at the Renaissance Society, Chicago;, MASS MoCA; and Nelson Galleries, University of California, Davis, among other galleries.
Olivia Moore of Austin, Texas, received the second place award and $1,500 for her sculpture "Untitled (Baltic Granite)." She received a bachelor's degree in fine arts from the University of Cincinnati in 2002 and an MFA from the University of Texas at Austin in 2011.
"Ghost of..." 2011, antique chair and caning. By Sarah Knouse, third place winner.
Sarah Knouse of West Palm Beach, Fl., won third place and $1,000 for her sculpture "Ghost of…" She received a bachelor's degree in fine arts from Pennsylvania State University and an MFA from Hunter College. Knouse was also a finalist in the 2009 Young Sculptors Competition.
The 2013 Young Sculptors Competition was judged by John Hatfield, executive director of Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City, N.Y.
Works by the winners and other finalists will be on display in the Hiestand North Gallery through Oct. 10.
Written by Susan Meikle, university news and communications, meiklesb@MiamiOH.edu.
