About the Contest

Each year, artists who have registered for the Open Studio Tour are invited to submit an image of one original artwork for a chance to win prizes and to have their work featured in the South Coast Artists Open Studio Tour publicity and marketing. Although not all participating artists also submit work to the contest, the work demonstrates the diversity of South Coast Artists and the competition is quite rigorous.

About the Theme

Following the difficult year of the pandemic, this year’s contest was appropriately on theme of New Beginnings. The theme was very broad, so that all artists had the opportunity to choose their very best work that incorporated the theme of New Beginnings: springtime, new life, blooming, emerging from the quarantines of the past year, sunrise, awakening, nature, the color green, buds emerging from the warming ground, a welcome rebirth from the slumber of winter, and other creative concepts.

About the Juror

Ben Shattuck is the lead curator of the Dedee Shattuck Gallery. He is a graduate of Cornell University and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. His paintings have been exhibited at the New Bedford Art Museum, Sloane Merrill Gallery, Greylock Gallery, Steven Amedee Gallery, and Julie Heller Gallery. He is also the founder and director of the Cuttyhunk Island Writers’ Residency. Shattuck has received fellowships from the US National Parks Service Artist-in-Residence program, The Vermont Studio Center, Bush Creek Center for the Arts, The Arts Students’ League of New York, and the Lighthouse Works.