Submitted by San Juan Islands Museum of Art.

The winners for the San Juan Islands Museum of Art’s 2015 People’s Choice Awards are Mary Bacon for Oh, Rats!(mixed media); Maria Michaelson for Ceramic Hunter (ceramic sculpture); Kandis Susol for Turning Edges (mixed media); Phil Tate for Mythos Carrying Humanity Across the Heavens (mixed media); and Bo Turnage for Fate MeetChance (watercolor/acrylic on paper).

In total, almost 400 ballots were cast since the November opening of the annual IMA Islands Artists’ Registry Show, an exhibition that features the emerging and established artists of the San Juan Islands. Such enthusiastic response reflects how much our visitors appreciated the range and quality of the more than 80 pieces of art in this exhibition.Comments on the show were filled with genuine awe and admiration for the works from our county, and convey their appreciation for these artists expressions of the beauty, identity, authenticity, and connectedness of our community.

SJIMA champions artists and the arts, and presents this exhibition to reinforce our islands as a place of enduring discovery, and to advocate for our most spirited selves, communities and environment.

This show is sponsored by Browne’s Home Center, Friday Harbor Electric and Mancuso Design & Construction.

SJIMA is one of the newest visual art museums in the Pacific Northwest, officially opening the doors of its new facility in2015. SJIMA champions artists, the arts, and arts programming because it champions authenticity of expression, place,and connections. Through its exhibitions, education, programs, and events, SJIMA establishes the San Juan Islands as a place of legacy making—legacies of art-inspired transformations, of expansion and wonder, and of support for ourartists and arts communities.

IMA is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday to Monday except for New Year’s Day. Admission is free, and the exhibit runs until Jan. 11.