OlethaDeVane Award

Oletha Devane’s artwork entitled, Henry “Box” Brown & Interwoven wins 2019 Trawick Prize Award

Trawick Prize Award Winners Announced

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sept. 5, 2019 (Bethesda, MD) – The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards, a juried art competition produced by the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District, announced the 2019 prize winners during last…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sept. 5, 2019 (Bethesda, MD) – The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards, a juried art competition produced by the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District, announced the 2019 prize winners during last night’s exhibit opening reception. Oletha DeVane from Ellicott City, MD was awarded “Best in Show” and received the $10,000 top prize; Mojdeh Rezaeipour from Washington, D.C. was named second place and given $2,000;  Renée Rendine from Towson, MD was bestowed third place and received $1,000; and Monroe Isenberg from Washington D.C. was awarded the Young Artist Award and received $1,000.

Carol Trawick and 2019 Trawick Prize Award Recipient Oletha DeVane
[/media-credit] Carol Trawick and 2019 Trawick Prize Award Recipient Oletha DeVane

Oletha Devane’s artwork entitled, Henry “Box” Brown & Interwoven is an artwork installation depicting Henry “Box” Brown who was a 19th century slave in Virginia who escaped to freedom at the age of 33 by arranging to have himself mailed in a wooden crate in 1849 to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Interwoven made of wood, oil, paint and fabric is a representation of the American and Confederate flags.

Oletha DeVane is a multidisciplinary artist who explores diverse political, social identities and cultural interpretations. Her work is in permanent museum collections and she has exhibited at the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Museum of the Americas in Washington, D.C. She has held artist residencies in Abu Dhabi, UAE; Banff, Canada and Lecce, Italy. DeVane is involved in the Baltimore arts community and has served on the board of Maryland Art Place, School 33 visual arts panels and as vice chairperson of Wide Angle Community Media. She is currently the Director of Tuttle Gallery at McDonogh School in Owings Mills, MD. DeVane received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art and her Master of Fine Arts from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.

2019 Trawick Prize Finalists

  • Stephanie Benassi, Linden, VA
  • Hoesy Corona, Baltimore, MD
  • Oletha DeVane, Ellicott City, MD
  • Muriel Hasbun, Silver Spring, MD
  • Monroe Isenberg, Washington, D.C.
  • Renee Rendine, Towson, MD
  • Mojdeh Rezaeipour, Washington, D.C.
  • Anne Clare Rogers, Baltimore, MD

The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards, established by Carol Trawick in 2003, is one of the first regional competitions and largest prizes to annually honor visual artists. A longtime community activist in downtown Bethesda, Ms. Trawick has served as the Chair of the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District, Bethesda Urban Partnership, Strathmore and the Maryland State Arts Council. The Jim and Carol Trawick Foundation was established in 2007 after the Trawicks sold their successful

information technology company.  A former teacher and entrepreneur, Ms. Trawick remains engaged in a range of philanthropic causes through the Foundation, which was established to assist health and human services and arts non-profits in Montgomery County

The work of the finalists will be on exhibit at Gallery B, 7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite E, until September 28. The public opening reception will be Friday, September 13 from 6-8pm. Gallery hours for the duration of the exhibit are Wednesday through Saturday, 12 – 6pm.

Entries were juried by Jonathan Monaghan, Assistant Professor of Digital Art & Studio Art Advisor at Catholic University; Foon Sham, Professor of Sculpture at University of Maryland; and Sue Wrbican, Associate Professor of Photography & Director of Photography Program at George Mason University.


For more information, please visit www.bethesda.org or call 301-215-6660.