Hi Jodi,

I thought you’d be interested in the following. We have photos available of the Mad Cow Motorcycle – as well as its artist/rider in action – if you want them.

Regards,

Erin

Prestigious West Prize for Contemporary Art Awarded to Billie Grace Lynn

Miami Artist to Use Prize for Cross-Country Ride with her Electric Mad Cow Motorcycle

NEW YORK, Apr. 22 - At the West Collection of Contemporary Art last night, curator Paige West awarded the esteemed annual West Prize to artist Billie Grace Lynn.

Selected from 2,100 international applicants – and ten finalists who each received a $10,000 West Collection acquisition grant – the $25,000 Grand Prize will support Lynn’s proposed artistic vision: a cross country ride on an electric/hybrid Mad Cow Motorcycle, made from the skeleton of a cow (http://www.westcollection.org/index.php/artist/index/5117/ ).

“The West Prize offers a special moment to pause each spring and recognize an elite group of stand-out artists,” said Paige West, curator of the West Collection. “This year’s winner, Billie Grace Lynn, was chosen among thousands of global applicants and ten incredible finalists. Billie’s work is remarkable as a kinetic sculpture and message of environmentalism, and she will undoubtedly inspire those she meets on her cross country Mad Cow Motorcycle journey.”

All ten West Prize finalists submitted projects for consideration by the West Prize committee. Billie Grace Lynn, the Miami-based artist, won the Grand Prize for her proposal to create a Mad Cow more powerful that her original, so it can traverse the country, spurring dialogue about energy, the environment, and meat consumption.

Last night Lynn demonstrated her original Mad Cow Motorcycle for hundreds gathered at the West Prize Collection.

More info on the West Prize finalists can be found here: http://www.westcollection.org  

The West Prize

The West Collection, curated by Paige West, awards an annual prize to ten contemporary artists. The West Prize, now in its third year, is granted to ten rising artists who are chosen from among thousands of submissions from around the globe. Each artist is granted $10,000 for his/her work to become part of the West Collection.  The ten finalists are asked to submit a proposal for a project, and the Grand Prize winner is granted $25,000 to realize his or her artistic vision.

For Press Inquiries:

Erin Allweiss, eallweiss@groupsjr.com

(917) 512-2118