La Vendéenne Awards Categories

In 2011 the La Vendéenne [la vahn day en] Awards were created in honour of the fourth century AD female encaustic artist, Laia, whose remains were found, along with the tools of her art, in La Vendée [la vahn day]region of France. The Awards are intended to recognize outstanding contributions to the advancement and practice of encaustic art. Collaborative nominations are encouraged. All awards are competitive. Nominees do not have to be members of the International Encaustic Artists [IEA]. IEA will present awards to no more than one nominee [a couple may be considered as one nominee] in each category. A panel of qualified judges will select the awardees and may at their discretion, chose not to present an award in a category in which there are no nominees or nominees that they may consider not sufficiently qualified. Board of Director Members are ineligible to receive such an award during their tenure on the Board of IEA.

Artistry

This award recognizes an individual artist whose main medium is encaustic and who has achieved distinction in her/his artistic career. The Artist should have a minimum of three of the following six credentials: hold a Bachelor of Fine Arts [or higher] degree from an accredited college or university; be a working artist; be represented by a gallery in a major art market; have an exhibition track record that includes solo and juried exhibits at major venues such as galleries and museums; have been selected for artist residency programs; have work in major collections such as public art programs.

Innovation

This award recognizes an individual or business who, through technical innovation[s] has helped advance encaustic art. Nominees may have invented a process, technique, tool or other method of working with encaustic that has helped facilitate the use of encaustic and/or made its use more likely [easier].

Education

This award recognizes an individual or program that has helped raise the level of excellence in encaustic fine art through teaching. Nominees may be classroom teachers, college professors or managers of programs that offer encaustic art demonstrations and/or workshops for the public, either free of charge or for a fee. Sponsors/developers of encaustic conferences, clubs or organizations are also eligible for awards in this category.

Media

This award recognizes an individual or media [television, internet, print, radio, film, etc.] that has facilitated the dissemination of encaustic knowledge through publication of a book, CD, DVD, video, web site, newsletter, magazine, brochure, etc.

Lifetime Achievement

The La Vendéene Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes outstanding contributions to the advancement and practice of encaustic art in four categories: Artistry, Innovation, Education, and Media. The La Vendéenne [la-vahn-day-en] Awards are named in honor of a fourth century female encaustic artist, Laia, whose buried remains were found—along with the tools of her encaustic art—in the La Vendée region of France.

This award recognizes any artist or organization that has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to encaustic art. Nominees can be individuals or companies who have worked with encaustic for more than 20 years. The recipient should be an acknowledged and respected artist or company.