Art Prize People's Choice Winner

The people have spoken; Jessica Mithen of East Fremantle is the winner of the People's Choice Award for the 2024 City of Rockingham Art Prize. The young artist's black pencil drawing Acceptance captured the voters' attention.

Mithen is an emerging artist who is studying for her Bachelor of Design in Graphic Design at Curtin University. She comments: "My work depicts the aftermath of receiving bad news over the telephone. It encapsulates the emotions felt in the final stage of grief, accepting the fact that a new reality cannot be changed".

Mithen adds: "The dropped telephone next to the subject captures the emotion of finally accepting the news, and the grief of knowing it cannot be changed. The person has experienced the five stages of grief, finally coming to the final stage of acceptance".

City of Rockingham Mayor Deb Hamblin congratulated Mithen and thanked exhibition visitors for casting their vote in the 2024 City of Rockingham Art Prize, held from 15 June - 30 June at the Rockingham Arts Centre.

"The City was thrilled to present the Art Prize this year. Acceptance is an exceptional artwork which was chosen by the public as the most popular artwork," Mayor Hamblin said.

The City congratulates Jessica Mithen for winning the coveted People's Choice Award and we look forward to hosting the Art Prize again in 2025.

Art Prize Curator Sandra Murray was delighted with the choice: "It is so encouraging for an artist who is at the start of her career to be acknowledged by this award. This is a tremendous step for Ms Mithen's artistic career."

Visit Art Prize for more information on the exhibition and for all of the winners in each category. If you missed the exhibition, you can also view a virtual tour.

Virtual tour