Interview with Los Angeles-based artist John Valadez. He served as a juror for the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery's Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition 2016.  

The Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition invited artists from across the country to submit their best works in the art of portrayal. The dazzling variety of media and diverse approaches to the exploration of "self" and "other" challenge preconceived notions of portraiture and expand visitors’ imaginations.

This competition and resulting exhibition "The Outwin  2016: American Portraiture Today" showcases excellence and innovation with a strong focus on the variety of portrait media used by artists today. The juried competition results in an exhibition of about 50 finalists, with the prizewinners announced at the opening.

The winner received a grand prize of $25,000 and an opportunity to create a portrait for the Portrait Gallery’s permanent collection. A fully illustrated publication accompanies the exhibition.

The competition is named for Virginia Outwin Boochever (1920–2005), a former Portrait Gallery volunteer whose generous gift has endowed this program. Dorothy Moss, associate curator of painting and sculpture, is the competition director and curator of the exhibition.

First prize:  Amy Sherald of Baltimore, Maryland, painting titled, “Miss Everything (Unsuppressed Deliverance).”
Second prize: Cynthia Henebry of Richmond, Virginia, photograph titled, “Mavis in the backseat.”
Third prize:  Joel Daniel Phillips of Oakland, California for a drawing titled, “Eugene #4.”

Commended:
Jess T. Dugan, from St. Louis, Missouri
Jessica Todd Harper, from Merion Station, Pennsylvania
Sedrick Huckaby of Fort Worth, Texas
Daniel James McInnis of Perrysburg, Ohio