Several months ago, the Portland Art Museum announced that it was doing away with the Oregon Biennial, and replacing it with a more select exhibition of artists living in OR, WA, MT, ID, or WY, called Contemporary Northwest Art Awards. From this show, one artist will be awarded $10,000 and be given a rousing rendition of “For (S)he’s a Jolly Good Fellow.” Shortly after this announcement was made, members of the Northwest art community at large (John Motley and myself included) were invited to nominate artists whom we thought should be considered for the prize.

This morning, PAM announced the show’s 28 finalists. According to the press release, “[Curator Jennifer] Gately will continue reviewing the artists’ work through studio visits during the next several months. By year end, she will present her recommendations to the Museum’s curatorial staff and announce the award recipients. These artists will be featured in the Contemporary Northwest Art Awards exhibition opening in June 2008.”

Major congratualtions go to:

Daniel Attoe (Washougal, WA)
Gretchen Bennett (Seattle, WA)
Joshua Berger (Portland, OR)
Buddy Bunting (Seattle, WA)
Cat Clifford (Vashon, WA)
Judy Cooke (Portland, OR)
Claire Cowie (Seattle, WA)
Marc Dombrosky (Tacoma, WA)
Ellen Garvens (Kenmore, WA)
Jesse Hayward (Portland, OR)
Mary Henry (Freeland, WA)
Fay Jones (Seattle, WA)
Michael Knutson (Portland, OR)
James Lavadour (Pendleton, OR)
Margie Livingston (Seattle, WA)
D.E. May (Salem, OR)
Jeffry Mitchell (Seattle, WA)
Seth Nehil (Portland, OR)
Richard Notkin (Helena, MT)
Geraldine Ondrizek (Portland, OR)
Joseph Park (Seattle, WA)
Akio Takamori (Seattle, WA)
Whiting Tennis (Seattle, WA)
Storm Tharp (Portland, OR)
Oscar Tuazon (Tacoma, WA)
Laura Vandenburg (Springfield, OR)
Marie Watt (Portland, OR)
Robert Yoder (Seattle, WA)

Two out of my three nominees (Tharp, Lavadour) made the final cut; granted, they’re not unknowns in the area. My dark horse nominee, Jessica Jackson Hutchins, didn’t make the cut. And while I haven’t pored over this list yet, I’m surprised to see that neither Kristan Kennedy nor Sean Healy made the list.

If you know any of these artists, drop them an email of congratulations. Stay tuned to find out who gets voted off the island next.