Frustrated with the prizes being awarded to artists in international competitions, Chantal Boynes, an emerging artist herself in 2019, decided to create her own award to give other new artists a chance to promote their work, connect with other like-minded creatives, and be adequately rewarded for their talents.
This year’s award recipient will receive a three-month residency in Italy.
The Boynes Emerging Artist Award was born in the middle of the night in October 2019 while Boynes was applying for another award.
“I didn’t see the prize until I got to the end, and I was annoyed because it was US $100 to apply and there was no major prize,” Boynes told Newsday.
[caption id="attachment_943680" align="alignnone" width="1010"] Chantal Boynes founder of the Boynes Emerging Artist Award. -[/caption]
The 24-year-old said she was also unhappy with the fact that there was no connection to a community for the artists who applied.
“I thought, if you’re going to put your work into an award and they have all this work and are getting all these artists, why not bring them together and foster something more? I told myself, ‘You know what? Let me see if I can do this.’”
Boynes would spend the next three weeks aggressively researching how to go about her new venture and launched the first edition of the award on November 1, 2019.
Winners receive a cash prize and published interview on the website as well as social media marketing and promotion of their work.
Past winners have also received other special prizes including US$250 in Blick art materials and a three-month contract with Los Angeles-based public relations firm PR for Artists worth US$15,000.
This year, however, Boynes is offering a prize she said she is most excited about. Boynes has partnered with Italian artist Franceseca Sassu whose organisation Nocefresca runs a year-round residency programme in Sardinia.
[caption id="attachment_943683" align="alignnone" width="632"] Untitled by Chantal Boynes[/caption]
“The purpose is for artists all over the world to come and connect to Sardinia and other artists. It is quite rural (so) it gets you out of the city and removes distractions so (artists) can focus on their work.”
The cost for the trip, including accommodation, will be paid for. “There are other benefits,” she said. “Studios and other events will be organised for artists in residence to show their work. There will be planned workshops and artists are encouraged to give workshops as well and they can take workshops by other artists that are there.
“They get curatorial assistance from (Nocefresca) so their project is discussed beforehand and the best way to approach it. It is a lovely, guided residency. It gives artists a very good incubation to just work.”
Applications opened on February 15 and will close on May 15. Finalists will be announced on June 20 and winners on June 27. A panel of judges will select 30 finalists, from which Boynes and Sassu will decide on the top three winners.
Submissions are open for paintings, drawings, photogr
