Recent UNO Alumni Take Top Prizes at Louisiana Contemporary
Two recent University of New Orleans fine arts alumni took top prizes on Saturday in Louisiana Contemporary, a statewide juried exhibition presented on Whitney White Linen Night by Regions Bank at the University of New Orleans Ogden Museum of Southern Art.
Angel Perdomo, who received a Bachelor of Arts degree in studio art from UNO in May, "cried tears of joy," he told bystanders as Ogden officials announced he won Best in Show. Perdomo presented three works in Louisiana Contemporary. Perdomo received a $1,000 Best of Show cash award. Perdomo showed three large acrylic on canvas works that he produced during his senior year: RX-78, Johnson & Johnson and Peek-A-Buu.
Monica Zeringue, who received a Master of Fine Arts degree from UNO in May, 2006, took second place in the esteemed competition, which this year was judged by Franklin Sirmans, the Terri and Michael Smooke Department Head and Curator of Contemporary Art for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and artistic director of Prospect.3 New Orleans. Zeringue, who is represented by the Jonathan Ferrara Gallery, showed three large graphite on linen works: Shewolf, Eagle Carrier and Hydra. Prior to the show, Doug McCash, a writer for The Times-Picayune, identified Zeringue as a show "stand-out."
Sixty artists – including five members of the UNO community -- presented 114 works in the exhibition, according to museum officials. Nearly 300 Louisiana artists submitted more than 970 works in hopes of being chosen to compete in the contest.
The competition, now going into its third year, is an effort by the Ogden Museum to engage a contemporary audience that appreciates the vibrant visual culture of Louisiana and the role of New Orleans as a rising, international art center, according to officials.
The exhibition will be on view at the Ogden, 925 Camp St., New Orleans, through Sept. 22, 2013. The UNO community receives special perks at the Ogden. UNO faculty may enter free to the museum during normal business hours and are eligible for a $25 annual museum membership. Students are eligible for a $15 annual museum membership. Regular museum membership is $50. Entrance to the museum is free to Louisiana residents from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursdays.
"We would love all of UNO to come see the show and the works of Angel and Monica," said Libra LaGrone, deputy director and curator of the Ogden Museum.
