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Dimensions: 5.5 x 6.5 x 4
Media: cast iron
Artist Statement : Hands in a gesture of supplication conveying desperation; representing an appeal for humane support, empathy and understanding. My work in sculpture focuses on representations of concepts and qualities of humanness—the characterization of various universal emotions, sensations, thought processes, the embodiment of self-identity and manifestations of spirituality. Having a background as a professional dancer, choreographer and competitive athlete, I am used to employing the language of the human body as a means of creative expression, and in sculpture I often use aspects and parts of the human anatomy to convey ideas in physical form. Seeing my work I wish the viewer to find resonance and relevance of “being human” as I explore and express in physical form various facets, abstractions and iterations centering around the mind-body connection and the human experience.

Dimensions: 24 x 36 x 1
Media: oil
Artist Statement : The harbor at St Michaels is a quiet peaceful spot.

Dimensions: 36 x 24 x 1.5
Media: Oil on panel
Artist Statement : As an artist, animals serve as my muse, their color, form and movement inspiring me to create. I strive to capture the serene and liminal moments of life, inviting viewers to explore the nuances of posture, body language and expression that unveil the depth of animal's rich emotional lives. Each painting tells a unique story, illuminating the beauty and complexity of the animal kingdom while fostering a deeper understanding of our interconnection with nature.

Dimensions: 14 x 11 x 1
Media: Oil on panel
Artist Statement : as an artist, animals serve as my muse, their form, movement and color inspiring me to create. I strive to capture the serene and liminal moments of life, inviting viewers to explore the nuances of posture, body language and expression that unveil the depth of animal's rich emotional lives. Each painting tells a unique story illuminating the beauty and complexity of the animal kingdom while fostering a deeper understanding of our interconnection with nature.

Dimensions: 11.5 x 11.5 x 2
Media: 10"x10" Oil on Gessobord in a black 11.5" x 11.5" floater frame
Artist Statement : These pieces represent a sunny morning in Orvieto, Italy, where church bells were calling everyone to morning vespers.

Best in Show

Dimensions: 30 x 24 x 1.5
Media: Paper collage. Visit MitziBernardArt.com/women-on-fire/ to see the names and locations of all of the women included in Women on Fire.
Artist Statement : Women on Fire is a 24x30 collage of hundreds of tiny pieces of paper on canvas. From afar she looks like a fire-breathing dragon, but up close we can see the images of 49 women peering out at us who breath their own fire. These are women whose bravery and courage changed the world for women and all people throughout history. This is certainly not a complete list of all of the incredible women in the world, just mine. These brave women inspired me to be a more courageous woman. It is my dream that Women on Fire will inspire you to encourage the women on fire you know and inspire you to breath your own fire. Website: http://www.mitzibernardart.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/mitzi_bernard_art/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/mitzibernardart/

Dimensions: 36 x 36 x 1.5
Media: Oil paint on canvas
Artist Statement : I wanted to imagine Nefertiti as an African-American woman

Dimensions: 30 x 36 x 0.75
Media: Oil paint on canvas
Artist Statement : I love painting movement that’s what this painting is about

Dimensions: 16 x 24 x 1
Media: Digital Photography
Artist Statement : Afternoon clouds shadow the abandoned seacraft Magallanes III off Chile's southern shore near Tierra del Fuego. The rusting ship bears that name in recognition of the Portuguese explorer who first discovered what is now called the Strait of Magellan, a discovery that allowed passage from the Atlantic into the Pacific Ocean, thus permitting European navigation to Asia via the Pacific.

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Dimensions: 18 x 22 x 1
Media: Digital Photography
Artist Statement : A woman barrels down a staircase converted to a concrete slide (or vice versa) in a hilltop community in the riotously colored city of Valparaiso, Chile, while her friends await her at the bottom with camera phones aimed in her direction.

Dimensions: 12 x 12
Media: Watercolor on Paper
Artist Statement : This piece is the view from our boat as we pass under the Knapps Narrows bridge. The bridge operator always waves to us as we go by.. After going under the bridge we enter the mighty Choptank river where Chesapeake history began.

Honorable Mention

Dimensions: 24 x 17 x 5
Media: Italian smalti, Mexican smalti, stained glass, beads, found items, hospital gown, insulation, thin set, grout.
Artist Statement : Made in collaboration with Cahan Manfra. A breast is an amazing functional piece of anatomy. The relation between male and female breast does not just differ in its ability to nurture. It differs in what becomes acceptable in society. As once the nipple is attached to any female it becomes forbidden and must be concealed. This beautiful breast resembles the breast of all women.

Juror's Choice

Dimensions: 14 x 14
Media: paper, fabric, beads, thread, paint, trinkets
Artist Statement : "She Chose Curiosity" tells a story about women who embraced non-traditional roles, interests, and professions at a time when it not only uncommon, but frowned upon. Using a circa-1940s photograph as a reference image, this portrait was created using collage materials that included vintage field guides, vintage text, upholstery samples, gears, and old buttons. The texts in particular reference scientific learning and exploration of our natural world. The background uses an up-cycled tablecloth, and the patterns in her garment evoke images of fabrics and china patterns. Her peaceful gaze shows that she is content to straddle the worlds of homemaker and scientist, settling in to the duality of being a woman in a time when curiosity was not favored.

Dimensions: 18 x 24
Media: Oil and cold wax
Artist Statement : Humorous, whimsical view of three mean (but harmless) birds.

Dimensions: 36.5 x 49 x 0.5
Media: Acrylic mixed media on canvas
Artist Statement : This piece is painted with bright yellows and accent colors. All of my art is inspired by nature, the environment and a mixture of bold colors. Normally my work contains deep blues inspired by the ocean but this is an exploration of bright yellows and similar hues.

Dimensions: 30 x 60 x 1.5
Media: Acrylic on Canvas, Mixed Media

Dimensions: 11 x 17
Media: Paper collage on mixed media board
Artist Statement : Research is an integral aspect of my practice and has raised conversations of identity and ancestry in search of origin. There is a process of referencing my personal experiences and memories in tandem with collective diasporic experiences. (Re)visiting records of my ancestors (biological and perceived) allows for observing the insistence of Black life and understanding the ways their lives and experiences are informing my own. Using a variety of mediums - collage, painting, site-specific installation, language, and photography - I have identified a need to (re)claim, through artistic and linguistic production, the means to produce and author our own subjectivities, rendering ourselves seen and heard.

Dimensions: 24 x 24 x 2
Media: Oil and Cold Wax on Panel
Artist Statement : Painting is experience, both for the maker and her audience, a shared exchange conveyed through a physical object, a work of art. The artist presents her own interpretation of being in this world. The viewer, in turn, takes in the physical object with eyes, but experiences it through the prism of an entire lifetime. As a painter, I connect with my deepest knowing and lay it bare as an offering to record a moment—or many—in time. I am ecstatic during this process. I am also ecstatic when that offering ignites a fire in the heart of another. This fire is akin to poetry; poetry that passes from the eye to the heart.

Dimensions: 30 x 40
Media: Oil on Canvas

Dimensions: 16 x 20 x 1.25
Media: Oil on linen panel