Bethesda Painting Awards

Bethesda Painting Awards

Exhibition dates are June 6 – June 29
Gallery B, 7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite E

The Bethesda Painting Awards is downtown Bethesda’s annual juried art competition that exclusively honors painters from Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Eight artists will be selected by the panel of judges to exhibit their artwork in June 2025 at Gallery B in downtown Bethesda.  These eight artists will be eligible for $14,000 in prize monies.  Check back soon for the list of finalists for the 2025 exhibition.

2025 Jury

Kevin Mitchell, Washington, DC

Lecturer of Studio Art, The Catholic University of America

Kevin Mitchell earned his Master of Fine Arts in Painting and Printmaking from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drawing and Painting from the University of Texas at Austin. Mitchell began teaching drawing and painting classes at The Catholic University of America in the Fall of 2002. He has also taught art courses at Virginia Commonwealth University, Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale, VA, and the Arlington Arts Center in Arlington, VA. Mitchell has exhibited his work at galleries which include the Bowery Gallery, New York, NY; Hill Center Gallery in Washington, D.C.; Brentwood Arts Exchange, Brentwood, MD; Signal 66, Washington, D.C.; Dallas Visual Art Center in Dallas, TX; Creative Artist Network in Philadelphia, PA; Anderson Gallery in Richmond, VA; First Street Gallery in New York, NY; PEPCO Edison Place Gallery in Washington, D.C. and Galeria Juan Pardo Heeren in Lima, Peru.

Mary Proenza, Arlington, VA

Associate Professor of Art, Marymount University

Mary Proenza holds a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from New York Studio School, a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from The New School, and a Bachelor of Arts in Literature from UC Santa Barbara’s College of Creative Studies. Recent exhibitions include “Cladogram” at the Katonah Museum of Art, NY, and “Digging In” at Cody Gallery, Arlington, VA. As part of a 2022 NEA Arts Project Grant, she exhibited paintings from her “Memoir” series and created four linoleum cut prints for the collaborative book Truth Comes Slowly. Her art has been featured on book, magazine, and CD covers, including those of Knopf and CMH records. As a writer, her reviews have appeared in Art in America and The Brooklyn Rail. Currently, she’s working on graphic memoir combining visual art and writing, which has been supported by various fellowships, including a 2024 residency at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Proenza serves as an Associate Professor of Art at Marymount University, Arlington, VA.

James Williams II, Baltimore, MD

James Williams II is an interdisciplinary artist who creates paintings and sculptures centered on topics of racial constructs, systematic racism, and cultural identity in the United States. He received his master’s degree from the Mount Royal School of Art at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). Williams’ paintings integrate non-traditional materials to create layered reliefs. His most recent solo exhibitions have been with UTA Artist Space, Atlanta, GA; LCVA Museum, Longwood, VA; Langer Over Dickie, Chicago, IL; Resort Baltimore, Baltimore, MD. His work has been included in group exhibitions at GAVLAK Gallery, Los Angeles, CA; Catalyst Contemporary and Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD among others. Williams is a recipient of the 2022 Janet & Walter Sondheim Art Prize and the MFA Joan Mitchell Foundation award. His exhibitions have been reviewed by the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Baltimore Beat, Baltimore Sun, BmoreArt and many more. Williams currently serves as faculty at MICA.

2025 Finalists

Sarah Boyts Yoder, Charlottesville, VA

Originally from Fort Worth, TX, Sarah Boyts Yoder earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Eastern New Mexico University and her Master of Fine Arts from James Madison University. Her vibrant, expressive work has been featured in nearly 50 solo and group exhibitions, numerous publications, and is held in both private and corporate collections across the U.S. and internationally. She has received a professional fellowship in painting from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and has been awarded multiple residencies, including at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, 100 West Corsicana in Texas, and Blue Apple Beach in Cartagena, Colombia. In 2025, she will return to Virginia Center for the Creative Arts as a J&E Berkley Foundation Fellow.

Anna Child, Baltimore, MD

Anna Child is a Baltimore-based artist whose abstract paintings are guided by doubt, disorientation, and the act of not knowing. She studied at the New York Studio School and the Maryland Institute College of Art and was a Core Fellow at Penland School of Craft. Recent accolades include multiple Maryland State Arts Council grants and residencies at Woodstock Byrdcliffe, Vermont Studio Center, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Chalk Hill, and Jentel. Her artwork has been recently exhibited in Seattle, WA; Glen Echo Park, Glen Echo, MD and Woodstock, NY. A suite of her monotypes was authored by Phil Sanders and will be published this year by PS Marlowe in Asheville, NC.

Malik Greene, Columbia, MD

Malik Greene is a self-taught painter from Columbia, SC, who is now based in Virginia. Since launching his professional practice in 2021, Greene has developed a distinctive visual language shaped by influences ranging from manga and animation to history, politics, and pop culture. Through his deeply personal work, he explores themes of identity, aspiration, and memory—offering a lens into his lived experience while inviting broader cultural connections. Malik’s work has been featured in recent exhibitions in Columbia, SC; Washington, D.C. and Cambridge, MA. He is currently working on his Master of Fine Arts at George Washington University.

Jeffrey Deane Hall, Richmond, VA

Jeffrey Deane Hall is an artist and educator known for his precise trompe l’oeil paintings layered with rich symbolism. He studied studio art, physics, and art history at the University of Richmond and earned his Master of Fine Arts from Virginia Commonwealth University. Hall’s acclaimed “Edges” series—hyper realistic stacks of books—addresses themes of censorship, perception, and systems of knowledge. His work has appeared in New American Paintings, and for over 30 years, he has balanced his studio practice with teaching. He currently chairs the Visual and Performing Arts Department at Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School in Richmond, VA.

Mason Owens, Baltimore, MD

Mason Owens is a multidisciplinary artist based in Baltimore, MD. After earning his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of the Arts in 2013 and studying at The Glasgow School of Art in Glasgow, Scotland, Owens spent eight years working in agriculture and landscaping—an experience that deeply informs his practice. Since 2022, he has focused exclusively on egg tempera, drawn to its natural and tactile qualities. Owens’ debut solo exhibition at Steven Zevitas Gallery in Boston, MA took place in 2024, and his work has appeared in New American Paintings, group shows, and digital publications.  He has participated in group exhibitions in Portland, ME; Baltimore, MD and Washington, D.C. He will be an artist-in-residence at Upland in 2025.

Erin Raedeke, Montgomery Village, MD

Erin Raedeke is a painter whose work has been widely exhibited in both national and international venues, including the National Portrait Gallery in London. She received her Master of Fine Arts from American University and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting and a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Indiana University Bloomington. She also studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2003. Raedeke’s detailed and contemplative works have earned her numerous awards, including a Carnegie Mellon Research Grant and two Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Awards.

Leslie Shellow, Towson, MD

Leslie Shellow is a multidisciplinary artist working in ink, cut paper, book arts, and installation. Inspired by early explorations of the Chesapeake Bay, her work draws from natural forms—microscopic to ecological—and delves into cycles of growth, decay, and regeneration. Shellow has received several Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Awards and was a finalist for the Baker Artist Award. She has exhibited widely, including at the Delaware Center for Contemporary Art, Loyola University, and VisArts. She holds a Master of Fine Arts from Towson University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art, and currently works in paper conservation at the National Gallery of Art.

Elaine S. Wilson, Silver Spring, MD

Elaine S. Wilson is a painter known for her luminous landscape works on linen and wood panels. Her practice is rooted in drawing and deep observation, capturing a sense of place through careful structure and lyrical form. Wilson holds a Master of Fine Arts from Yale University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Washington University in St. Louis. Her work is included in the collections of the Grand Rapids Art Museum, the Library of Congress, and the University of Michigan. With over three decades of teaching experience—including at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and the University of Michigan—Wilson has also received support from the National Education Association, the DC Commission on the Arts, the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation, and the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation.

Exhibition

The work of the finalists will be on exhibit June 2025 at Gallery B, located at 7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite E in downtown Bethesda.

June 6 – June 29, 2025
Thursday – Sunday, 12–5pm
Opening Reception: Friday, June 6, 6-8pm

Founder & Chair

Founder, Carol Trawick

The Bethesda Painting Awards was established by Carol Trawick. Ms. Trawick has served as a community activist for more than 25 years in downtown Bethesda. She is the Chair of the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District, Past Chair of the Bethesda Urban Partnership, Inc. and founder of The Trawick Prize. Additionally, Ms. Trawick was Chair of the Glen Echo Park Implementation Committee, Vice Chair of the Montgomery County Parks Foundation and is a member of the Bethesda Chevy Chase Rotary Club. She is a past recipient of the Greater Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce Leadership Award, the YMCA Community Service Award, the Rotary Public Service Award and the American Association of University Women Service Award. Additionally, the Jim & Carol Trawick Foundation was established in 2007 after the Trawick’s sold their successful information technology company. 

Chair, Catriona Fraser

Catriona Fraser, award-winning photographer, curator and juror is the non-voting Chair of the Bethesda Painting Awards. Ms. Fraser she has orchestrated, organized, curated and juried more than 100 fine art exhibits, and remains active is supporting the careers of emerging artists. Ms. Fraser also serves as Chair of The Trawick Prize and Director of the Bethesda Fine Arts Festival.

Painting Application

The Bethesda Painting Awards was established by Carol Trawick in 2005. Ms. Trawick has served as a community activist for more than 25 years in downtown Bethesda. She is past Chair of the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District, past Chair of the Bethesda Urban Partnership, Inc. and Founder of The Trawick Prize. Additionally, the Jim and Carol Trawick Foundation was established in 2007 after the Trawicks sold their successful information technology company. 

Awards

Best in Show – $10,000
Second Place – $2,000
Third Place – $1,000
Young Artist* – $1,000
*Young Artist whose birthday is after February 26, 1995 may be awarded this prize.

The Jurors will select up to eight finalists who will be invited to display their work in a group exhibition at Gallery B in downtown Bethesda in June 2025.

Eligibility

The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District invites eligible artists to enter the Bethesda Painting Awards. Artists must be 18 years of age or older and permanent, full-time residents of Maryland, Virginia or Washington, D.C. The selected artwork will be on exhibit in June 2025 at Gallery B in downtown Bethesda, MD.

All original 2-D painting including oil, acrylic, watercolor, gouache, encaustic and mixed media will be accepted. The maximum dimensions should not exceed 60 inches in width. No reproductions. Artwork must have been completed within the last two years and must be available for the duration of the exhibition. Artwork does not have to be for sale at the exhibition. Selected artists must deliver and pick up artwork to and from Gallery B. All works on paper must be framed to full conservation standards.

Important Dates

Deadline for application:
February 26, 2025

Questions?

Contact Jason Liu at jliu@bethesda.org.

Online Application

Apply Online 

Create an account and user login. Upload images and pay $25 entry fee via major credit card.

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