FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 16, 2020

   

 
Russell Yerkes from Tarboro, North Carolina
Takes Home Best of Show at the 2020 ArtiGras Fine Arts Festival
Best of Show winner Russell Yerkes with his watercolor work. 

JUPITER, Florida -- The 2020 ArtiGras Fine Arts Festival presented by Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center and produced by the Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce Russell Yerkes from Tarboro, North Carolina, has won Best of Show for his watercolor paintings. 

"It is very humbling to get this kind of recognition with the quality of work at this event. It is truly humbling," said Yerkes, who is showing at ArtiGras for the first time. 

The winners were selected by three judges who scored each artist and awarded a Best of Show and a first-place winner in each of the 12 categories. The judges also awarded 12 Judges awards and one Emerging Artist award which this year went to ceramic artist Jay Hatfield from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. 

"I am very surprised and honored. There are a lot of great artists around here," said Hatfield, who is showing at ArtiGras through the Emerging Artist program. "The Emerging Artist program was very helpful. We had workshops and went on field trips to other events to learn how to be successful at this show." 

Emerging Artists are  artists from the Palm Beach area who are exhibiting in an outdoor art festival for the first time. These artists have been through a vigorous training program with ArtiGras event staff and other artist experts over the past six months to learn how to prepare for the show. 

The following is a list of the artists who placed first in each category and the Judges Awards: 

List of First Place Winners: 

First Name Last Name Collaborator  Medium Hometown
Russell Yerkes Best of Show (Painting) Tarboro, NC
Don McWhorter Ceramics Carrollton, GA
Dewey James Digital Art Minneapolis, MN 
Flo Kemp Drawing and Printmaking Setauket, NY 
Jessica Cotto Jamie Arbona Fiber  Nonwearable West Palm Beach, FL 
Billie Barthelemy Fiber  Wearable Pinewood, MN 
Nolan Prohaska Glass Somerset, WI 
Michel Plumail Viviana Gil  Jewelry Lake Hopatcong, NJ 
Amber Moran Mixed Media Hobe Sound, FL 
Kate Carney Painting Orlando, FL 
Greg Davis Photography Austin, TX
Larry Maynard Sculpture Redington, FL 
John Mascoll Wood Safety Harbor, FL 

Judges Awards: 

First Name Last Name Collaborator  Medium Hometown
Craig McMillin Ceramics Folsom, LA 
Edward Loedding Digital Art Brandon, VT 
Brianna Martray Drawing and Printmaking Pittsburgh, PA
Sebastian Coleman Glass Mt. Vernon, OH 
Julie Jerman-Melka Jeffrey Melka Jewelry Calumet, MI 
Caleb Barnaby Jewelry Crestview, FL 
Robert Goodlett Painting Ocala, FL 
Ronna Katz Painting Albuquerque, NM
Frank Bukow Painting Jupiter, FL 
Todd K Fox Sculpture Orlando, FL 
Jerry Remillard Susan Remillard Wood South West Ranches, FL 
Salem Barker Wood South Beloit, IL 

Emerging Artist Award: 

Jay Hatfield Emerging Artists  Palm Beach Gardens, FL 

Celebrating 35 years in Palm Beach County and the 20th year in Abacoa, the ArtiGras Fine Arts Festival presented by Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center wrapped up today in Jupiter. Ranked as one of the Top 10 art shows in the United States, ArtiGras showcases a unique juried exhibition of nearly 280 fine artists from all over the country. 
 
A portion of the proceeds from ArtiGras goes to support art education in schools throughout Palm Beach County. For additional information on ArtiGras visit www.artigras.org.

About Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce:
The Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce serves 10 municipalities - Juno Beach, Jupiter, Jupiter Inlet Colony, Lake Park, Mangonia Park, North Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Palm Beach Shores, Riviera Beach and Tequesta - that together are Palm Beach North. The Chamber is one of the largest and most active business organizations in Southeast Florida. The Chamber fosters a partnership of private, public, education and civic organizations working together to ensure Palm Beach North is Florida's "Prosperity Coast". The Chamber's four strategic imperatives are: A Prosperous Economy, High Quality of Life for all residents, a Smart and Connected Region, and Regional Leadership.  For more information visit:  http://www.pbnchamber.com.

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Media Contact: Rebecca Seelig, PBPR, (561) 628-5929, rseelig@pb-pr.com