Debra Keirce has been awarded Best in Show at the Small Works National Competition at…
Author: Anya Dribas
Debra Keirce has been awarded Best in Show at the Small Works National Competition at Mena Art Gallery. The exhibition, known for attracting a highly competitive pool of entries from across the country, showcased an impressive range of small-scale works. This year’s selections were particularly strong, making Keirce’s top honor even more significant. Juried by Amy Holmes Scoggins, the competition recognized outstanding technical execution, composition, and visual impact. The awarded painting (Lead the Way, 8×10″, Oil) features a meticulously rendered Western scene, capturing both narrative and atmosphere with remarkable precision.
Three apprentices from ÀNI Art Academies recently participated in a unique artist retreat at Erik’s Ranch in Paradise Valley, Montana. Surrounded by expansive landscapes and mountain views, the retreat offered a focused environment for artistic exploration, reflection, and community engagement. Representing ÀNI Art Academies Dominicana and ÀNI Art Academies Waichulis, Patricia Alonzo Diaz, Angel Young, and Steven Griffin were selected based on their dedication to the program and the strength of their work. Each artist engaged with the setting in a personal way, allowing the environment to influence both their process and perspective. The Montana landscape became a key source…
ÀNI Art Academies is proud to celebrate an outstanding achievement by young creative artist Ella Chen, whose work has been selected for national recognition in the prestigious Congressional Art Competition, organized by the Congressional Institute. Ella is one of ÀNI’s young creatives and a dedicated long-distance apprentice studying under Mitchell Bagnas. Her accomplishment highlights both her individual commitment and the strength of ÀNI’s extended mentorship model. Her drawing, Sweet Dreams (9 × 14″, Charcoal), has been chosen for exhibition in the United States Capitol, where it will be displayed for one year in the Cannon Tunnel in Washington, D.C. This…
We are proud to celebrate an outstanding achievement by Mark McDermott, whose painting The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly (9 × 12 “, Oil on Panel) has been awarded an Award of Technical Excellence in the Society of Canadian Artists 2026 Open International Online Juried Exhibition. This recognition highlights McDermott’s technical command and his ability to infuse everyday subject matter with narrative intrigue and humor, inviting viewers to reconsider the boundaries between play and observation. Congratulations to Mark on this well-deserved honor!
ÀNI Art Academies Sri Lanka Alumni, K. G. Bethmini N. Dissanayake, has received the MacAvoy Foundation Purchase Award in the 18th ARC Salon for her drawing, The Enchanted Reader. This prestigious recognition highlights works that demonstrate exceptional technical skill and a strong connection to the traditions of realism. Bethmini’s piece captures a quiet, introspective moment, as a young figure becomes fully absorbed in reading. Through careful control of value, edge, and light, the image draws viewers into a space that feels both intimate and immersive. The Enchanted Reader reflects the power of subtlety. Rather than relying on dramatic action, it…
Curating an exhibition with work arriving from multiple countries is not just a logistical exercise. It is a process of building coherence across distance, culture, and time. When done well, it creates a dialogue that feels intentional rather than scattered. When done poorly, it feels like a shipment of unrelated objects. The Inspirations exhibition at the John F. Peto Studio Museum offers a strong example of how to approach this challenge. The exhibition brought together artists from across the ÀNI Art Academies network, including contributors from the Dominican Republic, Sri Lanka, and the United States, all unified under a single…
ÀNI Art Academies Waichulis Apprentice Randy Leoncini has been awarded First Place in the Art Alliance of Monmouth County’s 39th Annual Juried Exhibition for his 2025 charcoal drawing, A Saturday Morning. This highly competitive exhibition brings together a diverse range of artists, with selected works chosen through a rigorous juried process that highlights both technical excellence and compelling visual storytelling. The Art Alliance of Monmouth County, located in Red Bank, New Jersey, has been a cornerstone of the regional arts community since its founding in 1978. Dedicated to fostering the growth and appreciation of visual arts, the organization provides exhibition opportunities,…
ÀNI Art Academies would like to congratulate the winners of our 9th Annual Drawing Competition! A prestigious panel of judges Tim Reynolds, Jeremy Sinsimer, John Manzari, Jordan West, Natalie Featherston, Silvia Belviso, Kara Lysandra Ross, Dru Blair, Scott Jones, Jack Summers, and Brent Dilworth examined each drawing for the qualities that best represent an artist in true command of his or her talent. We are thrilled to announce that the 1st place winner is awarded to Dismal Vidhana Pathiranage for his drawing, Shadows of Longing (ÀNI Sri Lanka). 2nd place is awarded to Kushan Karandeniya for his drawing, Bloom (ÀNI Sri Lanka). 3rd place…
Notes from the 2025 Artist Roundtable Zoom Sessions In 2025, a series of artist roundtable discussions brought together practitioners from diverse backgrounds to reflect on the tools, materials, and methods that shape their daily studio practice. These conversations were not theoretical. They were grounded in experience, in problem-solving, and in the quiet, persistent pursuit of control. What emerged was not a fixed list of preferred brands or prescribed materials, but something far more valuable. It was a shared understanding that tools are extensions of perception. They are not neutral. They influence decisions, guide mark-making, and ultimately shape the image itself.…
From Medal-Winning Masterpieces to Today’s Global Winter Stage In this issue, my section takes a slightly different direction from the usual discussions of artistic innovations, materials, or new creative technologies. With the recent Olympic Games still fresh in many of our minds, it seemed fitting to explore a fascinating piece of Olympic history that many people are unaware of. While the Games are known worldwide as the pinnacle of athletic achievement, there was a time when artists also competed for Olympic medals. For several decades in the early twentieth century, painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, and music were official Olympic events.…