STAR-BULLETIN PHOTO Pat Walker received the Reuben Tam Award for Painting for "Dust Rising from an Ocean Floor." Walker's work is among the 71 pieces selected for the "Artists of Hawaii 2002" exhibition at the Honolulu Academy of Arts.

Cult of controversy

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Star-Bulletin Staff

The "Artists of Hawaii 2002" exhibition is always guaranteed to stir controversy. That's what happens when several hundred artists enter their work, and only one-tenth are deemed worthy of the public eye.

It's been said that the styles and caliber of works vary dramatically from year to year depending on the artist chosen to jury the show.

STAR-BULLETIN PHOTO Carl Jennings' "October."

This year's juror, Ned Rifkin, director of the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, was faced with the task of whittling down the 997 entries by 418 regional artists for the exhibition. He ended up with a selection of 71 pieces. The show features original works created within the past two years and not previously shown in a juried show in Hawaii.

So go ahead, take a look and compare your tastes against Rifkin's. If you don't like what you see, remember, you don't know what was rejected.

STAR-BULLETIN PHOTO "Modern Times" by Chris Campbell.

Seven artists were singled out for awards by academy staff and award sponsors. The recipients are:

>> S. Erin Williamson, for her work "Mourning Series." Williamson received the Alfred Preis Memorial Award for Visual Arts and a $150 stipend. Preis was founder of the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.

>> Charles Cohan for "Tiles (Soil III)." Cohan was awarded the Jean Charlot Foundation Award for Excellence and a $500 stipend. Charlot was an internationally recognized painter and printmaker.

>> Lynn Mayekawa for "Center Back, Place on Fold: #78." Mayekawa received the Cynthia Eyre Award, given to young emerging artists, along with a $500 cash prize.

STAR-BULLETIN PHOTO Jacqueline Lee's "Core: Slice #8, #11."

>> Deborah Nehmad for "(1-10) x 2." Nehmad received the Roselle Davenport Award for Artistic Excellence, which honors painter and arts supporter Davenport, and a $1,000 stipend.

>> Pat Walker for "Dust Rising from an Ocean Floor." Walker was awarded the Reuben Tam Award for Painting and a $500 stipend.

>> Dorothy Faison for "A Set of Paintings of Little Value." Faison received the Melusine Award for Painting, established in memory of Honolulu painter and art patron Gerry Clark. Faison also received a $1,000 stipend.

>> Rick Mills for "The Midden and the Maid." Mills was awarded the Baciu Visual Arts Award and a $3,000 stipend. The award honors an artist who exemplifies innovation and risk-taking in his work.

STAR-BULLETIN PHOTO "The Midden and the Maid" by Rick Mills. Mills was awarded the Baciu Visual Arts Award.

'Artists of Hawaii 2002' Where: Honolulu Academy of Arts, 900 S. Beretania St.; Henry R. Luce Pavilion Complex When: 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays, and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays, through Aug. 4 Admission: $7 general; $4 seniors, students, military; free for children 12 and under. Free admission the first Sunday and Wednesday of each month. Call: 532-8700

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