Tonight at the Orlando Museum of Art, one Sunshine State artist will be awarded the Florida Prize in Contemporary Art, and the prestige – and the $20,000 prize – that goes with it.
The annual Florida Prize exhibit aims to elevate a wide variation of cutting-edge, progressive, and sometimes provocative artists. Each of the ten finalists has their own space within the exhibition, to show work ranging from documentary photography to full-room, interactive, multimedia installations.
OMA’s Chief Curator Hansen Mulfold says the finalists are selected from among hundreds of Florida artists.
"The selection of the show is not just about the quality of the work – it is a very important part of the show, but it’s also how all the parts come together to make one show in which you see a lot of different kinds of voices and ideas coming out of these artists," said Mulford.
He said the styles and the artists themselves are representative of Florida’s unique tapestry of culture.
"Diversity is another big aspect of the show. If you look at the history of the now-70 artists that have been picked they are people from all over the place, which reflects Florida’s population, which are people from everywhere, worldwide, so that’s definitely reflected in the show."
The winner will be announced tonight at the opening preview party at OMA.
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