PITTSBURGH, PA.- The Associated Artists of Pittsburgh (AAP) will hold its 99th consecutive annual exhibition showcasing the work of regional artists from August 29, 2009, through November 8, 2009, at Carnegie Museum of Art.

A public preview and reception will be held at the museum 7:00–10:00 p.m. on Friday, August 28, 2009. The opening event is free to the public.

The 99th AAP Annual was juried by Doryun Chong, PhD, who was recently appointed Assistant Curator of Painting and Sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. He was formerly Assistant Curator of Visual Arts at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.

Dr. Chong was impressed by the work he reviewed for the AAP Annual: “I could easily have chosen two, if not three exhibitions from the amazing range and quality of work produced by these artists. It was a pleasure to be involved in such a quality effort.”

AAP exhibition co-chairs Susan Sparks and Melissa Vertosick noted that 277 artists submitted 516 pieces for the show, from which a total of 102 works were selected for exhibit. “The media submitted have continued to expand and include traditional and non-traditional uses of, oil, watercolor, sculpture, ceramics, mixed media, photography, video and fiber,” said Ms. Sparks. “Each year our artists continue to push the limits of their creativity, and the resulting work is dynamic and inspiring.”

As has been the longstanding tradition, the juror selected several works to receive special awards sponsored by AAP patrons. The 2009 award winners are:

•Carol Brode, Moment, mixed media painting, Westmoreland Museum of American Art Award

•Lynn Deppen, Fallen Angel, acrylic on canvas, Hillman Award

•Wayne Forbes, Mask for the Grand Carnival, ink on board, Kahn Family Award

•Dorothy Forman, Erupting, acrylic on paper, Frank Family Award

•Bud Gibbons, Three Graces, oil on canvas, Elsie M. Coons Award

•Vanessa L. German, The Unsorrow in the Mission Bottle, mixed media sculpture, Leon Arkus Memorial Award and Steven Mendelson Award

•Deanna Mancc, Bloomfield, ink and watercolor on paper, Aaronel DeRoy Gruber Award

•Laura Marin, Facets, paper collage, Donald and Sylvia Robinson Family Foundation Award

•Penny Mateer, Damn Good Whacking #5 Protest Series, quilt, Buncher Family Foundation Award

•Elaine Morris, Spanish Delight, mixed media, Irene Pasinski Sailer Award and Carnegie Museum of Art Purchase Award

•Jack Weiss, Foggy Day at Winters Edge, acrylic on canvas, Steven Mendelson Award

•Hisham Youssef, Sorry Signs, mixed media sculpture, Speyer Award

•Kathleen Zimbicki, Max's Children, Calendar & Classmates, mixed media, Clara Witmer Memorial Award

The AAP Annual, held every year since 1910, was affectionately titled “The Popular Salon of the People” when it was first introduced, because of the support and encouragement the member artists received from the Pittsburgh community.

AAP consists of almost 500 artist members who live within a 150-mile radius of Pittsburgh and are creators in all media of the visual arts. The purpose of the association has remained the same since its founding: “to foster a love of the fine arts and inculcate a true appreciation of the contributions Pittsburgh artists make to the advancement of the arts.”