“SELF-PORTRAIT AS HOUSEWIFE”: This piece by Lily Colman of Philadelphia won first prize in The Center for Contemporary Art’s virtual 2021 International Juried Exhibition. The show can be viewed on The Center’s website at ccabedminster.org through February 27.

The Center for Contemporary Art’s virtual 2021 International Juried Exhibition is available on The Center’s website through February 27. 

Juror Victor Davson selected 50 pieces from 742 entries from 259 artists from across the United States and as far away as Canada, Turkey, and Uruguay. The quality of the entries was very high, and made for a challenging task for the juror. New Jersey artists selected for the exhibition are Courtney Coolbaugh (Middlesex), Jaime Farley (Maple Shade), Rita Koch (Flemington), Stuart Lehrman (Cherry Hill), Thomas Martin (Edison), Ryan McGee (Westampton), Jason Rice (Island Heights), Theda Sandiford (Jersey City), Caitlin Servilio (Clinton), and Brad Terhune (Nutley).

Three artists were awarded cash prizes: First Prize went to Lily Colman (Philadelphia, Pa.); the Second Prize winner was Diana Gubbay (Bethel, Conn.); and Third Prize went to Theda Sandiford (Jersey City).

In addition, Lily Colman (Philadelphia, Pa.), Debra Samdperil (New York, N.Y.), and Theda Sandiford (Jersey City) were awarded solo exhibitions at The Center for Contemporary Art  in Bedminster by The Center’s Exhibitions Committee.

When speaking about his selection process Davson wrote, “I struggled to remain open until the end, switching things in and out until I came to the resolve that I wanted to use this opportunity to give a nod to those objects that meant something to me personally. In a way of speaking, I selected objects that gave me something I could feel.”

Davson was born in Georgetown, Guyana, and immigrated to the United States where he received a BFA from Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York.; He co-founded Aljira, a Center for Contemporary Art (Newark); and established himself in his practice as an artist. His work is heavily influenced by the anti-colonial politics of the Caribbean, and by the intellectual powerhouses of that period. He was inaugural co-director of Express-Newark until recently, and is a member of the Artist Advisory Council of Newark Arts.

For more information, visit ccabedminster.org.