Cover: Marcus Jansen

For the 2011 edition of the Southern Competition, we're thrilled to feature the curatorial expertise of Dan Cameron, the founder and director of Prospect New Orleans, a post-Katrina effort that is single-handedly changing the landscape of contemporary art in the Southern United States. As the man behind the largest international biennial of contemporary art in America, Cameron’s experience working with emerging artists dates back several years, and New American Paintings is proud to exhibit his perspective as this issue’s juror.

The Spotlight feature for #94 focuses on the work of Knoxville, Tennessee’s Jered Sprecher, whose optically charged abstractions have more in common with representational forms than they reveal at first glance. The winner of a 2009 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship, Sprecher is an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and a wily investigator of commonplace mark-making. Sprecher speaks with us about abstraction, Dollywood, and where you go looking for inspiration in the cornfields of Nebraska.

No conversation about contemporary work in the South would be complete without talking about Miami, and OHWOW’s Lydia Ruby speaks to us about the risk-taking sensibilities of the South Florida art capital, her move from Boston, and her experiences in the art world working with emerging artists.

With American institutions like The Whitney increasingly acquiring work from artists in the South, it’s clear that the region is more vital than ever before, and New American Paintings is excited to be a stalwart site for this growing conversation. Order your copy online! A full list of winners, and preview images, after the jump!

—Evan J. Garza, Editor-at-Large

Craig Drennen, Untitled (Masquer: Jeff Koons) | Ink, acrylic, oil, enamel, and aluminum foil on canvas, 20 x 16 inches

Winners: Southern Competition 2010
Juror: Dan Cameron, Founder/Director, Prospect New Orleans

Juror's Selections:
Whitney Wood Bailey
Ananda Balingit-LeFils
Andrew Blanchard
Rachel Bone
Ralph Bourque
Mark Bradley-Shoup
Mickael Broth
Ryan Browning
Jerry Cutler
Troy Dugas
Beth Edwards
Maggie Evans
Ryan Foster
Jason Galbut
Brian Haverlock
Lillian Bayley Hoover
Bonard Hughins
Jed Jackson
Chris Jahncke
Marcus Jansen
Marcus Kenney
Ian Larson
Kathleen Loe
Kim Manfredi
Susan Martin
Beverly McIver
Katie Miller
Michel Modell
Regina Scully
Andrew Smaldone
Tom Stephens
Nancy VanDevender
Chloe S. Watson
Kyle White
Monica Zeringue

Editor's Selections:
Hamlett Dobbins
Craig Drennen
Alex Kvares
Maggie Michael
Tad Lauritzen Wright

Whitney Wood Bailey, Dualities XVI | Oil and mixed media on canvas, 72 x 72 inches

Marcus Kenney, The Return of Metacom | Mixed media on canvas, 48 x 48 inches

Michel Modell, Jihad Jake | Watercolor on canvas, 52 x 72 inches

Chris Jahncke, Ben Ben | Meteorite collage and mixed media on panel, 24 x 24 inches