61st Bay Annual Art Show

Bay Arts Alliance Hosts 61st Bay Annual Art Competition & Exhibition

PANAMA CITY, FL– Bay Arts Alliance proudly announces its 61st Bay Annual Competition and Exhibition opening on Friday, May 3 at the Center for the Arts in downtown Panama City. The public is invited to attend the opening reception and awards ceremony on Friday, May 3 from 5pm-7pm. Awards will be announced at 6pm that evening.

A tradition started by the Panama City Artist Association, the Bay Annual Competition & Exhibition has brought together artists and arts enthusiasts throughout Northwest Florida to showcase the region’s finest artists.

“The Bay Annual has always been a special exhibition because it helps reconnect our community’s artists,” said Jayson Kretzer, Executive Director of Bay Arts Alliance. “At the awards reception, it is so cool to see the artists sharing techniques and rooting for each other and it’s our absolute honor to showcase these fantastic artists each year.”

Over 100 pieces are submitted each year and then juried down to the finalists in the exhibition. Of those pieces, six will be chosen to receive awards by this year’s judge, Kevin Curry, Assistant Professor of Digital Foundations and Sculpture/Ceramics at Florida State University.

Artists in the Northwest Florida region are encouraged to submit their works on April 19 and 20 at the Center for the Arts. Submission details can be found by visiting the Center for the Arts in person, by phone, or online at pccenterforthearts.com/artist-opportunities.                                     

Images from the 60th Bay Annual Awards, 2023

About the Judge

Kevin Curry received his BFA in Graphic Design from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan, and after working as an Art Director in New York and Philadelphia, started his own design & Illustration business before receiving his MFA in Sculpture from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois in 2008.

Moving to Colorado in late 2009, Kevin has served as Adjunct Faculty at DU since 2010 and Regis University since early 2012. In that time, has been awarded public art commissions by the City of Denver (to be located on Tennyson and 41st) and RTD for Denver’s new transportation hub based at the Historic Union Station as well as solo exhibitions at Colorado State University and Rule Gallery in Denver.

Over the past four years, Kevin has been an Artist-in-Residence at Lawndale Art Center in Houston, TX, Art342 in Fort Collins, Colorado, Platteforum in Denver, Colorado and is currently a resident artist at RedLine in Denver, Colorado. 2013 will see Kevin at residencies at Kimmel-Harding in Nebraska and on the south rim of the Grand Canyon as part of the National Parks Artist-in-Residence program.

Bay Arts Alliance

Since 1978, Bay Arts Alliance has served as the local arts agency for Bay County and provides opportunities for cultural enrichment through broad based educational experiences, music and arts programs, exhibitions, and events. Bay Arts Alliance has brought countless national touring performances to the area and provides many cultural opportunities for Bay County schools and non-profit organizations.

Panama City Center for the Arts

Panama City Center for the Arts in downtown Panama City is housed in the beautiful 1925 historic City Hall building. Panama City Center for the Arts is managed by Bay Arts Alliance. In the Center for the Arts, Bay Arts Alliance provides visitors and the local community with creative enrichment through monthly art shows and exhibitions, films, concerts, educational art classes for all ages, and special focus classes for Bay County school trips. The facility and grounds are under the ownership of the City of Panama City.