• Best of Show: Janet Cass, "High Desert" above)

• First Place: Zoe Ann Fischer, "Ice Crystals in the Sky"

• Second Place: Donald Schmidt, "Lady Rage"

• Third Place: Dennis Beech, "Door at the Martinez House, Taos, NM"

This exciting exhibition was drawn from the Artist Councils' 350 members who submitted more than 125 works of art. This year's juror, Mary Kay Stolz, selected the final 60 pieces that are on display in the Art Museum's Jorgensen Gallery and the Marks Graphics Center. The work ranges across diverse media and styles, including sculpture, painting and photography.

The art work in the exhibition will be available for purchase through a new silent auction application that can be accessed from a computer in the Art Museum or on the Art Museum's web site at www.psmuseum.org . The silent auction will run for the duration of the exhibition and will show the current bid price for each work. The silent auction will be open until 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 6th when the bidding will end and the highest bid will win the artwork. On the evening of March 6, the Artist Council will hold a live auction where participants will have a chance to bid on the exhibition's 17 award-winning works.

"We are extremely impressed by the quality of the submissions for this Juried Exhibition," said Dennis Jory, President of the Artist Council Board of Governors. "The Juror had a difficult time choosing just the work for the exhibition, but we feel that she has chosen the best of the submissions. We are excited that the new on-line bidding process will open the silent auction up to anyone and allow participants to check the status of their bid whenever they wish."

Thirty percent of the proceeds of each sale will directly benefit the Palm Springs Art Museum and Artists Council, supporting two yearly exhibitions, artist demonstration programs, and workshops for adults.

The Juror for the exhibition, Mary Kay Stolz, currently serves as the Creative Director of the Film & TV Costume Design Advanced Study Program at FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising). She developed the curriculum and founded the program in 2000 and writes the course outlines, hires the faculty, selects the students, and oversees the many guest speakers, field trips and internships. She received her B. F. A. in Fashion Design from Washington University in St. Louis in 1972.

The Artists Council is one of nine support councils of the Art Museum. In addition to sponsoring two annual juried exhibitions, the Artist Council also hosts "Artists in Action" demonstrations and conducts studio workshops throughout the regular season teaching such topics as watercolor, printmaking, and mixed media. -- www.rijksmuseum.nl