Artist James Busby wins inaugural 701 CCA prize

The 701 Center for Contemporary Art in Columbia has announced James Busby of Chapin, S.C., as the winner of the inaugural 701 CCA Prize, a competition and exhibition for South Carolina artists 40 years of age and younger.

Busby will receive a six-week, paid residency at 701 CCA, consultation services from a professional advertising and marketing firm, a solo exhibition at 701 CCA and an ad in a national publication. The Rock Hill, S.C., native has exhibited at Stux Gallery, The Chelsea Art Museum, Scope New York and the Armory Show, all in New York; the University of Richmond Museum and Virginia Commonwealth University, both in Virginia; and the Galerie Jean-Luc & Takako Richard in Paris, France. Busby was included in the 701 CCA South Carolina Biennial 2012. He received his BFA and MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University. His work consists of thick layers of polished gesso treated with graphite and acrylics. Recently, Busby has added color to his often geometric, sparse art works that play on the tension between the senses of vision and touch as their tactile surfaces catch and reflect light in a way that shifts constantly.

The two additional finalists were Jim Arendt of Conway and Tonya Gregg of Hopkins. The three finalists’ work can be seen in the 701 CCA Prize 2012 Exhibition, which opened Nov. 1 and runs through Dec. 16.

The finalists were selected by an independent jury consisting of Lilly Wei, a prominent New York City art critic and curator; Paul Bright, the director of the Hanes Gallery at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C.; and Karen Watson, the director of the Sumter County Gallery of Art in Sumter, S.C. The jurors selected the three finalists from 19 applications.

The Prize’s purpose is to identify and recognize young artists 40 and under whose work is exemplary in its originality, shows awareness of artistic developments and is of high artistic merit. “With the 701 CCA Prize, 701 Center for Contemporary Art hopes to add a crucial component to the eco-system and infra-structure for artists and the visual arts in South Carolina,” said Wims Roefs, director and board chair of 701 CCA. “Our state does not have a prominent event to highlight the best young talent in South Carolina. We hope that this will fill part of that void.” The competition will become a biennial event.

James Busby, Mirrorball, 2012, gesso, graphite, oil and acrylic on MDF, 19.5x14in

Via: 701 Center for Contemporary Art