Dare Arts Announces 29th Annual Mollie Fearing Memorial Art Show Award Recipients

The Fearing Family at the 29th Annual Mollie Fearing Memorial Art Show opening reception.

Founded by Mollie A. Fearing & Associates

Over 120 people gathered at Dare Arts in Manteo on Sunday, May 3 for the opening of the 29th Annual Mollie Fearing Memorial Art Show, which features 81 pieces of work by local and regional artists. 

Artist Carolina Coto carefully selected the following award recipients:

Best In Show: Jessica Sheingold, Self Portrait and Song (oil on wood)

Excellence Awards: Mike Bennett, Silence (oil), Lisa LeMair, The Notion of Luxury (mixed media), Iryna Welch, Bacon Surveillance (oil on canvas), and Emily Holmes, The Roar of the Ocean (paint, ink, collage) 

Honorable Mentions: Carolyn R. Sleeper, Judy's Pocket Full O'Posies (stoneware, nichrome wire), Mary Ann Remer, Fog (mixed media), and Tiffany Lindsey, The Top Drawer (acrylic, spray paint, fabric, paper, collage)

“There was a lot of incredible work in this show,” said judge Carolina Coto. “It took me quite a bit of time to select the winners, and I would have liked to have given a few more awards. The Best In Show piece just immediately grabbed my attention. I felt it in my stomach and in my heart. It has elements that make you think, and it has words that you know are important but can’t fully read, but make you more curious and kind of feel what the artist is feeling. You just want to sit with the artist and ask her a million questions. Even without knowing what is happening, the piece just makes you feel all the feelings. It has all the elements you want in art- it makes you think, it makes you feel, it makes you question things, and it is beautiful to look at. It stood out, big time, like a hit in the heart.” 

L-R- Grizelle Fearing, Owner of Lucky 12 Tavern Mark Ballog, and Best In Show recipient Jessica Sheingold with her painting Self Portrait and Song.

This year was Nags Head artist Jessica Sheingold’s first time entering a piece in the Mollie Fearing Memorial Art Show. 

“I wasn’t sure what it was meant to be when I started,” said Best In Show award recipient Jessica Sheingold. “I had this picture of myself that I liked- I seemed content, but there was a look in my eyes that spoke of something more complex underneath. I thought it would be a challenge to try to capture that in a painting. My attraction to that particular picture was a kind of foreshadowing because after I began working, life threw me some curve balls to weather that were entirely outside of my control. There is a balance you have to find between how you want to outwardly present yourself despite inwardly feeling raw and fragile. I added the wound (which was real) as a literal indication of a “chink in the armor”, and chose to leave the sides of the piece unfinished and unframed, scribbling the words to a favorite power song around the edges in my natural, barely legible handwriting. The contrast between the formally posed, heavy-smiled front facing image and the messy sides is a truthful depiction of myself. The vulnerable parts are easy to overlook, but they are there. Winning this award was such wonderful acknowledgement of this balance and pain. I’m also just starting to carve a path back into the art world, and this was beyond encouraging and validating.”

People's Choice award recipient Catherine Hamill and her painting The Queen Has Arrived. Photo courtesy of Tatum Clements.

At the opening reception, over 80 people voted for the People’s Choice award, which went to artist Catherine Hamill for her piece The Queen Has Arrived (acrylic).

"I know this was not the most impressive painting in the Mollie Fearing Art Show, but it was a special time to remember and recognize Barbara Hird's years portraying Queen Elizabeth in The Lost Colony and Elizabeth R,” said artist Catherine Hamill. “I felt honored to paint her portrait, and so grateful and excited that the combination of her presence at the reception and my painting in the show resulted in this very special People's Choice award, and I want to thank everyone who voted.”

The 29th Annual Mollie Fearing Memorial Art Show is held in memory of Mollie Fearing, who was one of the founding members of Dare Arts and the nonprofit’s first president.  

“Oh the show, it just keeps getting better each year,” said Mollie Fearing’s daughter Grizelle Fearing. “The light on Mike Bennett’s piece during the reception gave me goosebumps. I love seeing new names of artists that I have never heard of participating in this show, and the crowd at this year’s reception was great. My mom would be proud of Dare Arts’ growth and this vibrant exhibit.” 

The show will remain on display in Dare Arts’ Courtroom Gallery through Saturday, May 30. The Gallery is open Tuesday-Friday 10am-5pm and Saturday 10am-4pm.

Thank you to Mollie A. Fearing & Associates, Jane Webster, Lucky 12 Tavern, and Ocean Atlantic Rentals for sponsoring this exhibit.

This project is supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural & Cultural Resources.

For more information about the show, please visit DareArts.org/molliefearingshow or call (252) 473-5558. 

Dare Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization dedicated to encouraging the arts in Dare County through advocacy, enrichment, and opportunity.