American Watercolor Society Traveling Exhibit & Florida Suncoast Watercolor Society Exhibit

Description

ArtCenter Manatee is honored to present the 151st Annual Traveling Exhibition of the American Watercolor Society International Exhibition featuring the work of 40 pre-eminent water media artists from around the world. Experience the world-class talent and enjoy this jewel in downtown Bradenton. $5 admission per person helps to cover the cost of bringing this prestigious exhibition to ArtCenter Manatee, one of only six venues in the country and the only in Florida.

Also on display will be the Aqueous Show by Florida Suncoast Watercolor Society (FSWS). The Opening Reception is free and open to the public. M-F-S 9-5, T-W-Th 9-6. Closed Sunday.

The American Watercolor Society is one of the oldest and most prestigious art societies in the
world. Indeed, election to the Society as a Signature Member is one of the most sought-after honors in
the painting world. AWS Membership comprises many of the greatest names in painting throughout the
Society’s history and includes (to name drop a few) the American impressionist Childe Hassam,
regionalists Edward Hopper and Charles Burchfield, plus virtually every member of the important
“California School” of watercolorists, and everyone in between, up to and including the late Andrew
Wyeth.

AWS’s annual Exhibition is one of the most revered watercolor exhibits in the world. More than
1,200 artists from throughout the United States and 27 foreign countries submit their work to a panel of
jurors chosen from Signature Members of the AWS. Of these submissions, 150 paintings are selected for
the exhibition. Forty paintings from the show are selected for the Traveling Exhibition, which tours
museums and galleries across the country during the next year.

While inclusion in this exhibition is itself an honor, participants also compete for the Gold, Silver,
and Bronze Medals of Honor, and 34 other awards and medals totaling more than $50,000 in prize
money.