National Sculpture Society is pleased to announce the 90th Annual Awards Exhibition. The show will open at Brookgreen Gardens in Pawleys Island, SC on August 5. The juried show features the figurative works of 42 contemporary sculptors and is on view through October 22. The 16 prize winners from the show will then travel to New York City and exhibit their work in the 90th Annual Award Winners Exhibition at the NSS Gallery from November 20 to January 26, 2024.

The Annual Awards Exhibition is National Sculpture Society’s most popular show. Hundreds of artists apply to the juried competition which offers over eighteen-thousand dollars in cash prizes. The variety of subject matter and media exhibited represents the diverse styles, backgrounds, and disciplines of NSS members. Fellows (FNSS), Elected Members (NSS), and Associates make up the levels of sculptor membership in the organization, which is international in scope and appeal. National Sculpture Society is dedicated to promoting excellence in sculpture that is inspired by nature.

Highlights of the 90th Annual Awards Exhibition include a mama bear disciplining her errant cub; broken portraits sealed in gold; Neptune ridding the ocean of debris; a gutting reminder of COVID’s colossal devastation; and a contemporary look at the Gen-Z phenomenon of ghosting.

Artists participating in the show are Béla Bácsi, FNSS; Eli Bezimansky; Lindley Briggs, NSS; Matthew Brooks; Blair Buswell, FNSS; Kevin Chambers, NSS; Tim Cherry, FNSS; LeaAnn Cogswell, FNSS; Lesa Cook; Mick Doellinger, NSS; Tom Durham, FNSS; Erik Ebeling; Emmanuel Fillion; Steve Flom; Kathleen Friedenberg, FNSS; Martin Gates, FNSS; Lee Hutt, FNSS; Elizabeth Jordan; Lynn Liverton; Rett Longmore; John Maisano; Janice Mauro, FNSS; Shawn McAvoy; Philip Monteleoni; Gedion Nyanhongo; Peter Ombasa Okechi; Louise Peterson, FNSS (Juror); Paul Rhymer, FNSS; Heather Rison; Helene Roberts; Vincent Russo; Gary Staab, FNSS; Suzanne Storer, NSS; Allison Streett;  Karen Swenholt; John Tenney; Joshua Tobey, FNSS; Frances Violante, Bart Walter, FNSS; Louise Weir; Eva-Maria Wohn, NSS; and Fan Yu.

The Jury of Selection and Jury of Awards play an important part in the annual exhibition and each jury is comprised of two sculptors and one curator/art historian. This year the Jury of Selection chose the 41 works from the 352 entries received from around the world. The Jury of Selection included NSS Fellows Michael Aaron Hall and Louise Peterson; and Jeremiah William McCarthy, Chief Curator, The Westmoreland Museum of American Art (Greensburg, PA).

A Jury of Awards — to be determined — will convene after the show is installed at Brookgreen Gardens. The 90th Annual Award winners will be announced at a closing reception on October 21; the Brookgreen Gardens People’s Choice award will be announced at that time as well.

National Sculpture Society was founded in New York City in 1893 by a group of America’s most prominent sculptors. Its members have created much of this country’s public sculpture, coins, and medals since the late 1800s. It is the oldest organization of professional sculptors in the United States and has been hosting exhibitions for over a century.

Brookgreen Gardens was founded by Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington in 1931 and today is a National Historic Landmark and a garden museum with the most extensive collection of figurative sculpture in an outdoor setting by American artists in the world.  In addition to the gardens, Brookgreen offers year-round courses and workshops to sculptors as well as programs and tours for visitors of all ages and interests.