Florida man wins 'best in show' at Boardwalk

VIRGINIA BEACH

The piece of art that has won "best in show" at this weekend's Boardwalk Art Show & Festival partly honors the bravery of canines in war. The mixed-media piece, called "Cur age," is by Tony Savoie of Orlando, Fla.

Winners of the show, which continues at the Oceanfront through Sunday, were announced Friday night and given a total of $29,500 in prizes.

The judges selected "Cur age" for the $10,000 top prize because "it's definitely a piece that evokes some emotion," said one of the jurors, Leigh Anne Chambers, executive director of Rawls Museum Arts in Courtland.

Curious about the artist's intentions, Chambers visited Savoie on the Boardwalk near 19th Street - booth 1913 - after the choices were made, without letting on that he had won. Savoie told her that "Cur age" was part of his "Command" series of the past year.

The deep-set frame features a collage of images and objects in the background related to combat dogs and soldiers. Commands such as fetch and lay down are paired with human actions, however.

The artist said he was suggesting that qualities beloved in dogs, such as obedience, are not always desirable in humans. He said the piece questions soldiers just taking the command they are given instead of thinking, "Is this a good idea?" On the glass covering the collage, the artist painted a dog's outline engulfed in what looks like flames, as if near an exploded bomb.

The other judges were A.T. Stephens, director of the Contemporary Art Museum at the North Carolina State University College of Design in Raleigh, and Rebecca Nolan, professor of photography at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Ga.

Teresa Annas, (757) 446-2485, teresa.annas@pilotonline.com

Winners at the Boardwalk Art Show

Best in show ($10,000) Tony Savoie, Orlando, Fla.

Board of Trustees Award ($5,000) Richard Currier, Micco, Fla.

Best Booth Design (prize is a free booth for 2009) Karen Hibbs, New Haven, Conn.

Award of Excellence ($1,500) Karen Hibbs, New Haven, Conn.

Virginia's Finest Award ($250) Eric Lindbergh, Virginia Beach

Best in drawing ($1,000) Michael Farrar, Clifton Forge, Va.

Best in painting ($1,000) Yoram Gal, Old Jaffa, Israel

Best in photography ($1,000) Nels Johnson, Ybor City, Fla.

Best in wood ($1,000) Michael Costello, Willis, Va.

Best in digital art ($1,000) Larry Carlson, Goshen, Vt.

Best in jewelry ($1,000) Hanna de Volska, Fort Worth, Texas

Best in graphics ($1,000) Mel Fleck, Louisville, Ky.

Best in sculpture ($1,000) Victoria Sexton, Greenville, N.C.

Best in ceramics ($1,000) Scott Causey, Sarasota, Fla.

Best in glass ($1,000) Bill and Jon Slade, Jacksonville, Fla.

Best in mixed media ($1,000) Ummarid Eitharong, Orlando, Fla.

Sand Dollar Awards ($250 each) Pam Fox, Sarasota, Fla.; Patrick Pierson, Palm Springs, Fla.; Will Corr, Holmes Beach, Fla.; Joyce Stratton, New Bern, N.C.; Michael Van Houzen, Holland, Mich.; John Costin, Tampa, Fla.; John Ha, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Tim Peters, Winter Haven, Fla.; Paul Stevens, Achilles, Va.; Joseph Craig English, Washington Grove, Md.

For more about the Boardwalk Art Show & Festival, including glimpses of the art you'll see there, check out Saturday's Daily Break in The Virginian-Pilot.