Miranda Heward Takes Best in Show at the 2023 Columbus Arts Festival
For immediate release
June 10, 2023Contact: Jami Goldstein
jgoldstein@gcac.org
(614) 221-8492
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Miranda Heward from Bridgman, MI took home $4,000 and the Best in Show award today at the 2023 Columbus Arts Festival. Miranda Heward, located at booth P148 on Belle Street, will be selling her award-winning drawings, along with more than 225 other artists from across the country, at the Columbus Arts Festival presented by the American Electric Power Foundation and produced by the Greater Arts Columbus Council (GCAC) this weekend.
Award winners are chosen by past and present Festival jurors that judge the booths the first day of the Festival. Festival jurors represent practicing artists, curators and educators in Ohio.
Eleven other artists also won awards today. In addition to cash prizes, artists received a glass sculpture award created by Columbus artist Lawrence Tuber. Awards are supported in part by White Castle.
Award winners are invited to participate in the following year’s Festival without going through the jury process. Award winners are:
Jurors’ Choice, 2-Dimensional ($2,000 each)
- Jonah Ballard, painting (Goodyear, AZ, booth R327)
- Lee Galusha, 2D mixed media (Chicago, IL, booth T131)
- Richard Wilson, drawing (Greenville, NC, booth R343)
Jurors’ Choice, 3-Dimensional ($2,000 each)
- Luis Gonzalez, wood (Miami, FL, booth M599)
- Rezgar Mamandi, 3D mixed media (Ashburn, VA, booth B103)
- Joshua Schottenstein, ceramics (Columbus, OH, booth R312)
Merit Award ($1,000 each)
- Jaiymie Kiggins, Emerging Artist/sculpture (Lancaster, OH, booth P146)
- H. C. Porter, 2D mixed media (Vicksburg, MS, booth P149)
- Evan Williams, Emerging Artist/painting (Columbus, OH, booth T141)
Best Presentation ($1,000)
- Zach Vincent, leather (Columbus, OH, booth R337)
Best Emerging Artist ($1,000)
- Emily Sekerak, printmaking (Newark, OH, booth T132)
In addition to support from White Castle, funding for the artist awards comes from proceeds of the Patron Package, which includes VIP access throughout the Festival and a ticket to the Patron Party, sponsored by J.P. Morgan Chase.
Launched in 1962 as the “Downtown Festival of the Arts” on the Ohio Statehouse lawn, the Columbus Arts Festival showcases the best visual arts, music, spoken word, and local food and drink for three days each summer to a crowd of about 500,000 each year. Live music, great food and a relaxed, gallery-like setting provide the perfect ambiance for browsing and buying the best selection of art. This year’s Festival attracted more than 800 artist applicants from across the country for the coveted 200+ spots.
Photos of the award winners are in the digital media kit: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/0gchhj5car7tic90c4epw/h?dl=0&rlkey=h5wgn5eeinjgezorpyf8b2oy4
Festival Hours: Friday, June 9 from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.; Saturday, June 10 from 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.; and Sunday, June 11 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Please note: on Friday and Saturday artists have the option to close at 9 p.m.)
To volunteer at the Columbus Arts Festival, please go to columbusartsfestival.org/engage/volunteer/.
For more information on the Columbus Arts Festival, call (614) 221-8625 or visit columbusartsfestival.org.
Download the Columbus Arts Festival app through the Apple app store or Google Play at guidebook.com/app/cafg/.
For a selection of high-res images, visit the Festival’s press media page.
The Columbus Arts Festival is produced by the Greater Columbus Arts Council.
The 2023 Columbus Arts Festival is presented by the American Electric Power Foundation. Additional sponsors and partners include Art for Life, Bank of America, Bath & Body Works, Battelle, Cardinal Health, Columbus Downtown Development Corporation, COSI, Deloitte, Encova, Graeter’s, High Bank Distillery, Holiday Inn Downtown, Hotel LeVeque, Huntington, IGS Energy, JP Morgan Chase, The Junto, King Business Interiors, ML Concessions, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, The Ohio State University, OSA Technology Partners, Paul-Henri and Erika Bourguignon Charitable Trust, Pepsi, Priscilla R. Tyson Cultural Arts Center, Rhinegeist, Toyota, The Westin Great Southern Columbus, White Castle and Whole World Lemonade. Media sponsors include ABC6/FOX28, CD92.9, Dispatch Media Group, Lamar Outdoor, Ohio Magazine, Orange Barrel Media, RSVP, WCBE, WOSU Public Media and WSNY/Mix 107.9.
Mission of the Greater Columbus Arts Council: To support and advance the arts and cultural fabric of Columbus. www.gcac.org
The Greater Columbus Arts Council receives major financial support from the city of Columbus, Franklin County Commissioners, Ohio Arts Council and The Ohio State University. There are no funds from the city of Columbus, Franklin County or Ohio Arts Council used to support the production of the Columbus Arts Festival.
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