Five artists, including two photographers, a sculptor, a film director and one who works in multimedia, will be competing for this year's $25,000 Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape prize.
The five include Baltimoreans Stephanie Barber (multimedia), Matthew Porterfield (film) and Rachel Rotenberg (sculpture), along with two Washington photographers, Louie Palu and Mark Parascandola.
Works from the five finalists will go on exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Art's Alvin and Fanny Blaustein Thalheimer Galleries beginning June 25. The winner will be announced July 9 at the BMA.
This is the sixth year for the award, which is presented annually to a visual artist living and working in the Greater Baltimore area. Last year's winner was Ryan Hackett, a multimedia artist from Prince George's County.
The prize is given in conjunction with Artscape, the city's free festival of the arts, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Artscape 2011 is set for July 15-17 in the area surrounding the intersection of Mount Royal Avenue and Charles Street.