2025 Festival Art Exhibit
Community, collaboration and inclusion were the themes of the 2025 Festival Art Exhibit held at the Hilton Vancouver. Congratulations to the 5 award-recipients: Stephanie Joy Mitchell, Brandy Agun, Janine Littrell and Alison Berkey who were awarded People’s Choice, Mayor’s Choice and 3 Juror’s Choice awards.
People’s Choice: Stephanie Joy Mitchell for “Untitled”
About 860 people cast their votes for People’s Choice over a 2-day period. Stephanie Joy Mitchell gained the most votes with her graphite illustration depicting the detailed aged face of an elderly man. In her statement, Stephanie shared “Celebrating our elders on paper is an honor and my hope is that the viewer gets a sense of their beauty, wisdom, and the lifetime of energy spent nurturing, educating, building up the people and world around us.”
Mayor’s Choice: Brandy Agun for “Lovely Day at the Zoo”
The Mayor’s Choice Award went to Brandy Agun for her work “Lovely Day at the Zoo,” depicting an imagined community scene of people enjoying a day outdoors in a park-like atmosphere. Brandy was unable to attend the award ceremony, but her parents were present and were overjoyed to collect the award and pass on the good news.
Juror’s Choice: Alison Berkey (Straight, to the Right), Janine Littrell (Mother Earth) and Lisa Raymer (All are Welcome)
Jurors Stevie Woods, Christian Barrios and Nathan Orosco selected works by Alison Berkey, Janine Littrell and Lisa Raymer respectively. Berkey’s imaginative work “Straight, to the Right.” was celebrated for it’s current and youthful approach to the theme of inclusion. Littrell was commended for her ability to embrace nature as the foundation of our community, in her ceramic vessel “Mother Earth” that held delicate butterflies within it’s walls. Raymer was recognized for her exceptional colored pencil work “All are Welcome,” which embraces the uniqueness that exists within us and collectively makes the whole more rewarding.
Thank you to the sponsors: Johnson Bixby and Integrated Tax Services, Art at the Cave, Connie and Lee Kearney, Cascadia Development
Thank you jurors: Nathan Orosco, Stevie Woods and Christian Barrios
Thanks to everyone who participated, voted during and visited the 2025 Festival Art Exhibit!
