Cover art credits from top: Photography of outdoor sculptures by Jeffrey Stoner of Kingsport, Tenn.; Underwater photography by Dr. Diane R. Nelson of Johnson City, Tenn.; Painting by Nancy Johnson of Abingdon, Va.
The Greater Tri-Cities Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) recently announced the winners of its annual competition judged by out-of-state jurors.
A! Magazine for the Arts submitted three cover stories in the Non-Daily: Art, Heritage & Entertainment category and won the following awards:
First Place: "How Does Your Community Fund the Arts?" (October 2008: on the cover, outdoor sculpture in Kingsport, Tenn.; story featured Kingsport, a well as Abingdon and Wytheville, Va.) Judge's Comment: "A far-reaching (if bureaucratic-reading) survey of the extremely important but often-overlooked process of supporting the arts in a community."
Second Place: "Science & Art: Creative Partners" (July 2008: cover story focused on art exhibits at the Gray Fossil Site museum) Judge's Comment: "An intriguing report on what otherwise would seem an unlikely pairing, this story makes it much easier to see and appreciate the connection between science and art."
Third Place: "Affrilachia: Black Artists in Our Region" (June 2008: painting by Nancy Johnson of Abingdon on front cover) Judge's Comment: "A! gets big points for paying attention to these important artists, but I'd like to see the coverage more integrated into regular ongoing coverage rather than surveyed all at once in a single issue." Editor's Note: The judge was not privy to a year's worth of A! Magazine and, therefore, did not know that A! covers all the arts on a regular basis.
