Jeremy Mangans 2010 painting Tent City demonstrates the societies that nevertheless develop when we leave society and go into the wilderness. This painting is in the 10th Northwest Biennial at Tacoma Art Museum now, and Mangan is up for the Neddy Award.
  • Courtesy the artist
  • Jeremy Mangan's 2010 painting Tent City demonstrates the societies that nevertheless develop when we "leave society" and go into the wilderness. This painting is in the 10th Northwest Biennial at Tacoma Art Museum now, and Mangan is up for the Neddy Award.

1. The finalists have been announced for the first round of the Neddy Awards at Cornish. In painting, the nominees are Gala Bent, Cynthia Camlin, Jeremy Mangan, and Stacey Rozich. In the Open Medium category, the finalists are James Coupe, Lead Pencil Studio, Eirik Johnson, and Susie J. Lee.

All finalists receive $1,000 and will be featured in the Neddy exhibition at Cornish from June 6 to July 18. One artist in each category will win an unrestricted award of $25,000.

The panel that selected the finalists: Ken Allan, contemporary art history prof at Seattle U; Stokley Towles, Seattle artist; and Whatcom Museum curator Barbara Matilsky. Ian Berry, associate director and curator at the Tang Museum at Skidmore, is the out-of-town juror who'll do studio visits and make the final choices.

2. Monologuist Mike Daisey (about which, grrr), artist Betye Saar, pianist Christopher O'Riley, and "technologist" Chris Csikszentmihályi will receive honorary degrees from Cornish this spring, and Daisey will deliver the commencement address. They're all coming to town for the occasion.