About the Exhibition
The 39th Annual Lowell Arts West Michigan Art Competition highlights outstanding artwork by Lower West Michigan artists who reside in a 25-county region. Artwork in any visual art media can be submitted by artists 18 yrs. and older. Cash awards totaling $3500 are presented. Artists may submit one piece for consideration by the juror.
Exhibit Dates
February 22 – April 12, 2025
Gallery Hours
Tuesday–Friday 10am–6pm
Saturday 12–5pm
Artist Reception
Join us in the gallery for our Artist Reception on Sunday, March 2 from 1:30pm-4:30pm. Meet the artists and enjoy light refreshments.
About the Juror
This year's juror is Boisali Biswas. Biswas, raised in India, is an award- winning studio artist working in mixed-media fibers who currently resides in West Bloomfield, MI. Her formative BFA years were spent at Visva-Bharati University, founded by Rabindranath Tagore at Shantiniketan. The profound experience through the educational journey has stayed with her and continues to influence her work. She completed her MFA at Bowling Green State University. Living in this country for over 3 decades, and adapting to Western styles and inspirations in concert with her background has made her Art into a cauldron of multicultural assemblages that are unique and feast for the eyes.
Juror Statement
I am honored to have had the opportunity to jury the 39th Annual Lowell Arts West Michigan Art Competition. With such a diverse and impressive range of submissions, the selection process was both challenging and rewarding. Thank you to Lowell Arts for entrusting me with this responsibility—it was truly a privilege.
It was an immense pleasure to witness the large variety of mediums artists are working in, just as an all-media show should be. I was truly awestruck by the skill and quality of work emerging from within this small radius. If your work was not included, please don’t be discouraged. This was one of the most competitive exhibits I have ever juried. There were quite a few awards given out, but I have to mention that many more deserved awards. It was a very difficult task to choose them.
One small piece of friendly advice I’d like to share is the importance of quality photography. While most works were well photographed, some were not, making it difficult to fully appreciate them. I often had to take a leap of faith and was pleasantly surprised by how strong the work turned out to be. For artists, photographing their own work is an essential skill to develop, as the image is the primary language through which they communicate
with a juror.
I hope the audience enjoys the show as much as I enjoyed viewing the submissions and curating the exhibition. Some works deeply moved me, others captivated me with their beauty. It was a truly rewarding experience.
2025 Award Winners
2025 Selected Artists
John Andersen, Allegan County
Jan Arbogast, Kent County
Kathleen Bechtel, Ottawa County
Joy Belanger, Kent County
Dee Bellini, Kent County
Danielle Benson-Fennell, Kent County
Deborah Bergren, Kent County
Barbara Bjelland, Kent County
Jane E. Blacquiere, Kent County
Larry Blovits, Kent County
Mary Bommarito, Kent County
Judy Bregman, Ottawa County
Patti Brinks, Kent County
Bob Brown, Kent County
Jennifer Burgnon, Kent County
Ronald Campbell, Kent County
Ted Carlson, Kent County
Evie Carrier, Kent County
Dianne Carroll Burdick, Kent County
Nancy Clouse, Kent County
Samantha Conrad, Kent County
Rosanne Coty, Kent County
Talon Crowne, Kent County
Anna Currie, Ottawa County
Robert deJonge, Ottawa County
Darrell DeRuiter, Newaygo County
Lisa Dionne, Kent County
Kaylee Dirkmaat, Kent County
Sydney Donath, Kent County
Susie Drust, Kalamazoo County
Ann Dyer, Kent County
Dawn Edwards, Allegan County
Susan Ellis, Kent County
Timothy Emmons, Kent County
Sara Engman-Slaughter, Kalamazoo County
Kathy M. Forzley, Kent County
Xavi Francis, Muskegon County
Richard Francisco, Kent County
Suzanne Frederick, Muskegon County
Joe Frendo, Ottawa County
Patricia Garrison, Barry County
Sharon Gill, Kalamazoo County
Linda Gillespie, Calhoun County
Anna Greidanus, Kent County
Tatsuki Hakoyama, Kent County
Kathleen Harris, Kent County
Diane Haworth, Kent County
David Jackson, Kent County
Amy Johnson, Kent County
Mary Clare Johnson, Allegan County
Haley Joseph, Kent County
Kimberly Kalahar, Kent County
Kathleen Kalinowski, Kent County
David Kerley, Allegan County
DeLaine Klar, Kent County
Kim Kleinhardt, Isabella County
Sarah Kocian, Kent County
David Kuecherer, Kent County
Curt LaCross, Eaton County
Mary Lamson-Burke, Kent County
Nathan Lareau, Kent County
M. Joy Lemon, Kent County
Janet Lewis, Kent County
Leon Lou, Kent County
Marlies Manning, Mecosta County
Ivy Marsh, Ionia County
LaVonne Marshall, Ottawa County
Robin Maxon, Berrien County
Taylor Mazer, Kent County
Timothy McKnight, Lake County
Colin Mead, Allegan County
Pam Mensonides, Kent County
Kathy Mohl, Kent County
Robert Morris, Kalamazoo County
Stan Myers, Kent County
Brian Newton, Allegan County
Randall Nyhof, Kent County
Sharon Oleniczak, Kent County
Terese Olson, Ionia County
Kelly O'Neill-Dusome, Kent County
Colleen O'Rourke, Kent County
Rob Patterson, Kent County
Stone Peng, Kent County
Colin Plank, Kent County
Thiago Porraz, Kent County
Lora Ratliff, Kent County
Edward Rebek, Allegan County
Mary Reusch, Kent County
Elizabeth Rose, Ottawa County
Sally Rose, Isabella County
Tom Sampson, Kent County
Hana Girdvainis-Sawyer, Muskegon County
Linda Scarborough, Kent County
Richard Schaf, Ottawa County
Conni Schaftenaar, Ottawa County
Barbara Schilling, Kent County
Robyn Smith, Kent County
Destiny Stamper, Calhoun County
Ellie Stanislav, Mecosta County
Monica Stegeman, Kent County
Barbara Struber, Kalamazoo County
Rachael Tamez, Kent County
Deborah Trent, Kent County
Kiera Troost, Kent County
Eileen Urbanski, Kent County
David Vail, Kent County
Kelly Vander Kley, Van Buren County
Ellen VanderMyde, Kalamazoo County
James Veinbergs, Kent County
Maribeth Weadock, Kent County
Laura Weindorf, Kent County
Julie Westmaas, Muskegon County
Lindsey Winslow, Kalamazoo County
Lori Wisner, Kent County
Ethan Wright, Kent County