Midsummer Arts Faire Award Winners

About 20 artists received over $5,000 in awards on Saturday, June 29th during the 10th Annual Midsummer Arts Faire private Artist Awards Dinner held at the Quincy Art Center at 6:30 p.m. Award winners include:

Mark & Kate Schuering Purchase Award - Tim Schroll, "Milkweed," Photography, Colchester, Illinois

Hansen-Spear Purchase Award - Josh McCurdy, "Giant Raku Vase," Clay, Hannibal, Missouri

Quincy Artists Guild Young Collectors Gallery Awards:

• 1st Place - Lara Grossman, Photography, Rock Island, Illinois
• 2nd Place - Brenda Beck Fisher, Watercolor, Hannibal, Missouri
• 3rd Place - Jimmy Liu, Clay, Ballwin, Missouri

Local Q People's Choice Award - Josh McCurdy, Clay, Hannibal, Missouri

Great River Watercolor Society Award - Stan Squires, "Green Silver," Watercolor, Springfield, Illinois

Merit Awards (4):

• Ann Miller Titus, "Fiber City Planner," Fiber Art, Quincy, Illinois
• Allison L. Norfleet Bruenger, "Tribal Shield," Jewelry, Maplewood, Missouri
• Pat Kerns, "Tulip Tree," Pastel, Hannibal, Missouri
• Josh McCurdy, "White Octopus Vase," Clay, Hannibal, Missouri

Achievement in Art Awards (3):

• Cameron Smith & Jan Thomas, "Glass Round Vase," Murphysboro, Illinois
• Mary Beth St. Clair, "Gilded Lilies," Jewelry, Wyaconda, Missouri
• Corrine Smith, "Units #4 - 13," Mixed Media, Rock Island, Illinois

Awards of Excellence (2):

• Alice Jaeger-Ashland, "Sunflowers and Yellow Finches," Print, St. Ann, Missouri
• Brenda Beck Fisher, "W.T.," Watercolor, Hannibal, Missouri

Father Tom Brown Award - William Lemke, "Angel Oak," Photography, Waukesha, Wisconsin

Pat Surface Founders Award - Jimmy Liu, "Brothers Family," Porcelain Teapot, Ballwin, Missouri

Best of Show Purchase Award - David Brown, "Poetic Muse," Mixed Media Painting, Quincy, Illinois

Several special awards were also presented by Midsummer Arts Faire Board President Kelli Langston. Founder's Awards were presented to Kathy Anastas, Quincy, Illinois; Fran Cook, Quincy, Illinois; Karol Ehmen, Quincy, Illinois; Jewel Gwaltney, Quincy, Illinois; Lani Schneider, Quincy, Illinois; Kay Sutherland, Quincy, Illinois; Pat Surface (posthumously); and an award for Outstanding Service was presented to Sue Winking of Quincy, Illinois.

Jorgensen is a potter, photographer and Professor of Art at Culver-Stockton College. He earned his B.S. in Art Education and M.F.A. in Studio Art in the areas of Ceramics and Sculpture from Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas. Early in his career, Jorgensen was named as one of six emerging artists in the United States by Style, an arts magazine published in Galveston, Texas. In 2006 he was the recipient of the Helsabeck Prize for “Excellence in Teaching” at Culver-Stockton College.

Jorgensen currently teaches digital studio, clay, sculpture and digital photography classes. As a practicing artist, his artwork has been in more than 50 national, regional and local art exhibitions. He has served as judge for numerous Scholastic Art Shows and more than 25 professional, college and high school art exhibitions in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri.

The Midsummer Arts Faire is funded in part by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; the Samantha Otte Youth Opportunity Fund, a grant from the Community Foundation of the Quincy Area; and grants from the Quincy Service League, Breakfast Optimist Club, Quincy Noon Kiwanis and the Gem City Breakfast Kiwanis Club.

The 11th Annual Midsummer Arts Faire is scheduled for June 27 - 29, 2014. For more information and details about the Midsummer Arts Faire, visit www.artsfaire.org.