EUGENE, Ore. -- (September 25, 2009) –Josh Faught, assistant professor of art, has received the 31st annual Betty Bowen Award, an unrestricted prize of $15,000 open to Northwest artists. Faught will accept the honor on October 23 at a ceremony at the Seattle Art Museum, which will also exhibit a selection of his work.

Since 1977, the Betty Bowen Awards have recognized emerging artists working in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho in the spirit of longtime Seattle-based arts patron Betty Bowen. Two special recognition awards of $2,500 each were also granted.

Faught said he was shocked just be to be named one of five finalists from a pool of 494 applicants. But to win the top prize is really crazy, he said. “It’s a flattering experience,” he said.



His submission this year of six pieces reflected an evolution in his process, he said, more about objects than installations or environments. His winning entry was also more cohesive as a group, created within a shorter span of time and using similar motifs, iconography, and materials.

His work with textiles and fibers addresses multiple histories and mythologies, both personal and social. He juxtaposes more traditional fiber craft with sculptural, multimedia elements that incorporate political and pop artifacts and slogans. Faught received a master’s of fine arts with an emphasis in fiber and material studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2006. He also received a degree in textile and surface design from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York in 2004.

All five finalists presented their work to the 16-person jury of curators, collectors, and artists, including the previous two years’ honorees, and answered questions. Jurors asked about the thematic links between the objects and his interest in fiber work from the 1970s. The wild and nerve-wracking process had the jurors discussing his work as he was unpacking it. Then in a flash, it was over. “I thought I kind of bombed it,” he said of his presentation, “but that may be natural any time you’re feeling self-conscious about a new body of work.” The following day, he learned that he had won.

Though hurried, his talk wasn’t spontaneous. Faught had practiced like crazy, he said, rehearsing with several people. Within his half-hour slot, Faught said he strove to offer nuance instead of sound bites. “It’s a challenge to frame the work and convey something compelling that doesn’t seem superficial,” he said. “This was the first time I had spoken publicly about the particular works I presented so it took a lot of practice.”

Faught advises his students to do the same. “As a instructor talking with students, I stress the importance of figuring out how to talk about your work. You can still be thrown a curve ball so you have to be versatile. Talking about your artwork is unique because the audience is different every time.”

Faught, who joined the UO faculty in 2007, plans to apply the grant back into his practice, whether in terms of materials or research. He’s currently preparing for his first solo show at the Lisa Cooley Gallery in New York, which represents him. It opens on January 9, 2010. “Making work can be expensive, and grants in the arts are notoriously limited. It makes these moments incredibly special. It supports making art.”

About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of the 62 leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.

Contact:
Karen Johnson, AAA communications, 541-346-3603, karenjj@uoregon.edu.
Cara Egan, Seattle Art Museum PR, 206-748-9285, carae@seattleartmuseum.org
Story by Ted Mitchner, graduate student.

Source: Josh Faught, 541-346-2900, jfaught@uoregon.edu

Links:
http://www.lisa-cooley.com/artists/view/josh-faught
http://art-uo.uoregon.edu/

Image captions:
Josh Faught, “Endless Night”
2008
crocheted wool yarn, indigo, garden trellis and ribbon in two part piece (abstracted view of night sky from window) is dyed in successively darker vats of indigo dye, 12 x 8 x 1 ft.

Josh Faught, “Triage”
2009
mixed media, 6 x 10 x 1 ft.