VIRTUAL EXHIBITION

2023 Kite Prize for Contemporary Art

FINALISTS

Elizabeth Withstandley

Krista Svalbonas

Jess self

This virtual exhibition recognizes the innovative visual artists selected as finalists of the 2023 Kite Prize for Contemporary Art. The Kite Prize for Contemporary Art Award, an international visual art award, was established to recognize innovative visual artists and creatives who demonstrate exceptional commitment to their work. The award is juried by Amie Potsic Art Advisory, LLC choosing winning artists based on artistic excellence, creative accomplishment, and cultural significance.

© Jess Self, *Two Sides to Every Story*, Epoxy, Mixed Textiles, Foam, Steel, 26 x 26 x 84 inches, 2019

Jess Self
Contemporary Sculptor
Atlanta, GA

Jess Self is a contemporary artist based in Atlanta, GA who works with wax, wool, and wood to create mixed media figurative sculptures. She received her BFA from Warren Wilson College and MFA from Georgia State University. She was a 2014-15 Fellow at the Icelandic Textile Museum and is a recipient of the 2022 Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation grant and in 2022 she was a Hudgens Prize finalist. She owns and operates her craft fair business, Heart Felt Designs and has taught at Universities and workshops around the world.

Jess Self's Website / artofjessself@gmail.com

“By tapping into the power of archetypes, my identity becomes secondary to universally relatable ideas, helping viewers experience empathy and encouraging them to reflect on their own experiences and psycho-spiritual growth. My figures serve as anchor points to my own narrative and, through the familiar visual language of the archetype, give viewers the opportunity to find their own story within our shared mold.”

— Jess Self

© Jess Self, *Julienne*, Needle-Felted Wool, Hot Glue, Mixed Textiles, Latex, 28 x 28 x 32 inches, 2019

© Jess Self, *You Can't See Me This Way*, Mixed Media, 54 x 30 x 36 inches, 2019

© Jess Self, *Sheepish*, Wax, Wool, Mixed Textiles, 50 x 30 x 64 inches, 2021

© Jess Self, Rebuilding, Needle-Felted Wool, Machine Thread, 26 x 26 x 28 inches, 2019

© Jess Self, *Portal Ave*, Needle-Felted Wool, Felt, Tyvek, 22 x 20 x 12 inches, 2018

© Jess Self, *Mother/Martyr,* Wax, Metal, Mixed Textiles, 50 x 36 x 70 inches, 2021

© Krista Svalbonas, *What Remains 12*, Laser-cut pigment print, 33 x 23 inches, 2022

Krista Svalbonas
Contemporary Multi-Disciplinary Artist
Philadelphia, PA

Krista Svalbonas holds a BFA in Photography and an MFA in Interdisciplinary studies. Her work has been featured in a number of exhibitions including at the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, Spartanburg Art Museum in South Carolina, Howard Yezerski Gallery in Boston, Klompching Gallery and ISE Cultural Foundation in New York. Her work part of the collection of the Cesis Art Museum in Latvia, the Gregg Museum of Art And Design in North Carolina and the Woodmere Art Museum and Temple University in Philadelphia, as well as numerous private collections. Recent awards include a Baumanis Creative Projects Grant (2020), Rhonda Wilson Award (2017), Puffin Foundation Grant (2016) and a Bemis Fellowship (2015) among others. In 2022, Svalbonas had solo exhibitions of her Displacement series at the Copenhagen Photography festival in Denmark and the Museum of Photography in Tallinn, Estonia and Augsburg Museum of Textile and Industry in Germany. She is an associate professor of photography at St. Joseph’s University. She lives and works in Philadelphia.

Krista Svalbona's Website / info@kristasvalbonas.com

“During the Soviet era, the capitals of both Latvia and Lithuania saw cultural
buildings repurposed into warehouses and churches demolished. The old town centers were neglected and fell into decay. New construction was cheaply made, with no insulation and inadequate plumbing and heating. My connection to this history has made me acutely aware of the impact of politics on architecture and, in turn, on a people’s daily lived experience. I started to consider the effect of architecture on the tens of thousands of refugees, my parents included, who escaped a life under communism but went years without a permanent home.
”

— Krista Svalbonas

© Krista Svalbonas, *What Remains 16*, Laser-cut pigment print, 33 x 23 inches, 2023

© Krista Svalbonas, *What Remains 10*, Laser-cut pigment print, 33 x 23 inches, 2022

© Krista Svalbonas, *What Remains 15*, Laser-cut pigment print, 33 x 23 inches, 2023

© Krista Svalbonas, *What Remains 13*, Laser-cut pigment print, 33 x 23 inches, 2022

Elizabeth Withstandley
Installation Artist
Los Angeles, California

Elizabeth Withstandley is a conceptual video installation artist. Her work focuses on identity, individuality and ones place in the universe. She is from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. She has lived and works in Los Angeles, CA since 2004. She is one of the co-founders of Locust Projects, a not-for-profit art exhibition space, in Miami, FL and Prospect Art a not-for-profit in Los Angeles, CA.

Elizabeth Withstandley's Website / info@withstandley.com

Searching for the Miraculous

by Elizabeth Withstandley

© Elizabeth Withstandley, Video still from *Searching for the Miraculous*, 3 channel HD video, with inkjet print and glass jars, 18 minutes, 2020

© Elizabeth Withstandley, Detail from *Searching for the Miraculous* installation, glass jar, 2020

The Symphony of Names: No Man is an Island

by Elizabeth Withstandley

“The works question individuality, personal identity, morality, and purpose of life, while presenting a portrait of a person, a group of people, a specific culture or location.
I’m interested in providing the viewer with an immersive experience that causes them to raise questions.”

— Elizabeth Withstandley

Getaway

by Elizabeth Withstandley

Collective Distance

by Elizabeth Withstandley

The Real Brian Wilson

by Elizabeth Withstandley

© Elizabeth Withstandley, *The Real Brian Wilson*, Installation detail, digital artifact, 2 channel HD video with digital artifacts, TRT 23 minutes, 2018

© Elizabeth Withstandley, *The Real Brian Wilson*, Installation view, 2 channel HD video with digital artifacts, TRT 23 minutes, 2018

You Can Not Be Replaced

by Elizabeth Withstandley

Banner Image: © Elizabeth Withstandley, Searching for the Miraculous, Installation view, 3 channel HD video installation, 2020, variable, TRT 18 minutes

PRESS

Constance McBride interviews Amie Potsic about The Kite Prize for Contemporary Art in which she will share key methods artists can utilize to further their work and be successful in a variety of artist opportunities.

*Risky Beauty: Aesthetics and Climate Change,* Installation image at Main Line Art Center. © Amie Potsic 2022

About The Kite Prize for Contemporary Art

The Kite Prize for Contemporary Art Award, an international visual art award, was established to recognize innovative visual artists and creatives who demonstrate exceptional commitment to their work. The award is juried by Amie Potsic Art Advisory, LLC choosing a winning artist based on artistic excellence, creative accomplishment, and cultural significance. There were three Finalists and Artists Selected for the Virtual Merit Exhibition in addition to the chosen Winner.

Click here to view our 2023 Kite Prize Awardees.

About the Organization

Amie Potsic Art Advisory, LLC (APAA) was established to provide visibility and creative services for artists and enhance professional recognition to artists who are committed to a successful art career. APAA provides legacy planning, art advising, and a digital archiving platform for artists at all stages of their artistic journey. The Advisory helps to promote visual artists and offers individual contemporary art prizes on an annual basis including an unrestricted cash award to enable artists to further pursue their art.

Amie Potsic is the CEO and Principal of Amie Potsic Art Advisory LLC, Host of the Art Watch Radio Podcast, as well as an established photographer and installation artist. Ms. Potsic provides exceptional advisory services for artists, collectors, and institutions. With over 20 years of experience in the field, a Master’s in Fine Art, and comprehensive training to be a Fine Art Appraiser, she has a uniquely nuanced understanding of the art market, creative development, and collections management. Potsic received her MFA in Photography from the San Francisco Art Institute and BA’s in Photojournalism and English Literature from Indiana University, graduating with distinguished honors and Phi Beta Kappa. She is also a graduate of the Comprehensive Appraisal Studies Program (CASP) of the Appraisers Association of American in New York and is USPAP compliant. She has held faculty appointments at the University of California at Berkeley, Ohlone College, and the San Francisco Art Institute and been a guest lecturer at the International Center of Photography, the University of the Arts, Tyler School of Art, and the Delaware Contemporary.

Professional appointments have included Director of Gallery 339, Curator and Director of the Career Development Program at the Center for Emerging Visual Artists (CFEVA), and Executive Director & Chief Curator of Main Line Art Center. Curatorial projects have included exhibitions for the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts, the Office of Arts and Culture of the City of Philadelphia, Philagrafika, The Galleries at Moore College of Art & Design, Rowan University Art Gallery, Main Line Art Center, Maryland Art Place, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

VIRTUAL EXHIBITION﻿

2023 Kite Prize for Contemporary ArtFINALISTS

Elizabeth WithstandleyKrista SvalbonasJess self

Searching for the Miraculous

The Symphony of Names: No Man is an Island

Getaway

Collective Distance

The Real Brian Wilson

You Can Not Be Replaced

PRESS

VIRTUAL EXHIBITION

2023 Kite Prize for Contemporary Art

FINALISTS

Elizabeth Withstandley

Krista Svalbonas

Jess self