A handful of Juneau artists may have some extra zest for life after the Juneau Arts & Humanities Council announced Wearable Art 2020: Joie de Vivre’s award-winners.
The JAHC on Monday released the names of the winners of the Sybil Davis Award — formerly called the people’s choice award — and also highlighted the juror-award recipients from the weekend’s 20th annual fashion extravaganza.
The top juror’s award went to “Sample Delight” by Michelle Morris and modeled by Melissa Patterson. Morris’ 1920s-inspired dress is made from thousands of sewn and beaded tubes and caps from past lab work, according to the JAHC. The piece was also awarded the Trend Alaska Award, and it will be flown in October to Anchorage for the Trend Fashion Show.
“Sample Delight” by Michelle Morris and modeled by Melissa Patterson earned the first-place juror’s award at Wearable Art 2020: Joie de Vivre. Morris’ ’20s-inspired dress was also awarded the Trend Alaska Award, and it will be flown in October to Anchorage for the Trend Fashion Show. (Courtesy Photo | Ron Gile)
Second place went to “Weather Wyvern” by Kathleen Harper and Mikko Wilson, which was modeled by Ty Yamaoka. The piece, which was also awarded the Sybil Davis Award, used jeans, industrial acrylic off-cuts, foam, tule and 150 LED lights to create a mythical creature with a 14-foot wingspan.
Third place went to “La Fauna et La Flore” by Jessica Sullivan and modeled by Jesse Riessenberger. The piece was made of hand-painted and sawed alder branch discs and fishing line. It also included a large sculptural collar made of salmon skin that Sullivan scraped, tanned, stretched, dried and painted to depict the Northern Lights.
“La Fauna et La Flore” by Jessica Sullivan and modeled by Jesse Riessenberger earned the third-place juror’s award at Wearable Art 2020: Joie de Vivre. The colorful, large sculptural collar is made of salmon skin that Sullivan scraped, tanned, stretched, dried and painted to depict the Northern Lights, according to Juneau Arts & Humanities Council. (Courtesy Photo | Ron Gile)
Jurors K.D. Roope, Nic DeHart and Naweiyaa Austin Tagaban interviewed artists over a two-day period, according to the JAHC, and the jurors watched both the Saturday and Sunday performances before making their award decisions.
Honorable mentions went to “Titanium Roses,” made and modeled by Nakenna Kotlarov; “The Evolution of Rain,” made and modeled by Kathryn Grant Griffin; and “Mama’s Joy,” made by Brandi Campbell and modeled by Aileen Funk.
The JAHC also announced next year’s Wearable Art theme, and artists who plan to participate may want to practice working with mylar and call dibs on a Beastie Boys song. The theme for 2021 is Intergalactic.
• Contact reporter Ben Hohenstatt at (907)523-2243 or bhohenstatt@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BenHohenstatt
