SANDISFIELD, Mass. — The Sandisfield Arts Center announced the winners of the 3rd Annual Daniel Manacher Prize for Young Artists. 

 

Aidan White, Mico Aldmar Mendoza, and Warwick Willow were selected by Juror Josephine Halvorson, an accomplished artist and the Chair of the MFA Program in Painting at Boston University's College of Fine Art. Each winner receives $400 in support of their art practice, as well as a group show of their work at the Sandisfield Arts Center. Their work will be featured in an Opening Reception on Sept. 15 from 4 to 6 p.m. The gallery show will run through Oct. 6.

 

The prize was created by Adam Manacher and Carol Birnbaum in memory of their son, Daniel Manacher, who had a great passion and talent for art. Eligible artists are those 17-26 years of age living or attending school in Berkshire County. 

 

Aidan White was born in Princeton, NJ, and has lived in the Berkshires since he was eight. He is a painting major at Massachusetts College of Art and Design and expects to finish his BFA in August, 2024.

 

Mico Aldmar Mendoza was born in 2000, and grew up in a small rural town in Central Luzon, Philippines. He is a computer science major, with a background in environmental sustainability and studio art. He plans to pursue an MFA after graduation and wants to explore the possibilities when it comes to upcycling waste, minimizing material dependence, and exploring sustainable practices/techniques in art.

 

Warwick Willow grew up surrounded by art. Their early creative experiences involved painting with homemade watercolors, sculpting with salt dough, and exploring their mother's vast art collection in their family home in New Mexico. They began their formal study of the arts at the age of 15, going on to graduate from Bard College at Simon's Rock in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, with an Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts. Having discovered their love of clay, they transferred to the Kansas City Art Institute in Kansas City, Missouri, where they studied ceramics and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. They currently work at Bard College at Simon's Rock in Great Barrington as a Community Director.

 

More information on the Sandisfield Arts Center Gallery, The Daniel Manacher Prize for Young Artists, the Opening Reception and the Exhibit can be found at sandisfieldartscenter.org. 

 

The Sandisfield Arts Centers programs are supported, in part, by grants from the Sandisfield Cultural Council, Otis Cultural Council, New Marlborough Cultural Council, the Monterey Cultural Council, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.