The Schaefer Portrait Challenge is a statewide juried exhibition that has been held triennially since 2003, encouraging Hawai‘i artists to present the people of their island communities through explorations in portraiture. This prestigious exhibition features the carefully selected entries of artists whose work best captures Hawai‘i’s extraordinary portrait subjects. The jurors for Schaefer Portrait Challenge 2018: Charles Cohan of O‘ahu; Carol Bennett of Kaua‘i; and Jennifer Owen of Maui. 

The Challenge carried two substantial cash prizes:

  • The Jurors' Choice Award for $15,000, sponsored by Jack and Carolyn Schaefer Gray and selected by the jurors, was presented to Kaua'i artist Natasha Young at the opening reception on January 14, 2018. SEE PHOTO
     
  • The Marian Freeman People’s Choice Award for $5,000, sponsored by Gage Schubert and based on the popular vote of gallery visitors, was awarded to O'ahu artist Toni Rose at a reception on March 9, 2018. SEE PHOTO.  Second place in the voters' choice was Kirk Kurokawa of Maui; third place was a tie between Penny Nichols of Kaua'i and Kuakea O. Yasak of Maui.
     

The jurors made their final selections, with 57 artists for the 2018 exhibition:

Rose Adare ·  Ashley Albritton · Gabrielle Anderman · Patrizia Arroyo · Katherine Stone Ayers · Larry Berko · Elmer Bio Jr. · Carlo Carbajal · Mike Carroll · Hung Kwai Chan · Ken Charon · Mae Desmond · Margaret Ezekiel · Deybra Fair · Eddie Flotte · Ingrid Frégeau · Robert Glick · Roberta Griffith · Edd Tokarz Harnas · Will Herrera · William Houston · Alina Kawai · Kirk Kurokawa · Paul M. Lacio · Max Lemaire · Lynn Weiler Liverton · Robert Lober · Susanne Long · Stephen Lucas · Boots Lupenui · Mark Feijão Milligan II · Bon Moore · Gerald Murai · Momoe Nakajima · Pamela Neswald · Thu Nguyen · Penny Nichols · Joseph Okonek · Camille Page · Kaylie Pickup · Lynette Pradiga · Noble Richardson · Toni Rose · Patrick Daniel Thomas Sarsfield · Amanda C. Scott · Jennifer J. Stephens · Tomy Takemura · Devi Town · Burton Uhr · Christine Waara · Linda Whittemore · Lori Winterbottom-Guntzel · Shingo Yamazaki · Kuakea O.Yasak · Natasha Young · Paul F. Yount · William Zwick  
 
click here to go to "SPC2018" page with list of artists and the titles of their works
 
 
The Marian Freeman People’s Choice Award Reception was held Friday, March 9, 2018.