Wastweet bird medal wins top prize

This year, there were over 40 entries for the American Medal of the Year (AMY) awarded by the American Medallic Sculpture Association. Committee Chairman Mel Wacks said that “The jurors remarked about the high quality of the entries and took three rounds of voting to choose the winner – a 3x3-inch square art medal featuring the Black Crowned Night Heron by Heidi Wastweet, commissioned by Brookgreen Gardens.”

Winner of the American Medal of the Year is this work of art by Heidi Wastweet done for Brookgreen Gardens.

Heidi writes, “I chose the Black Crowned Night Heron as my subject based on the large population of them in Brookgreen’s Cypress Aviary. About 90 percent of the birds in the aviary are Black Crowned Night Herons who often trustingly let visitors walk up very close to them. I love spending time watching and photographing these noisy, entertaining birds, but they are often overlooked by park visitors, so I wanted to highlight them in a beautiful way. The two sides of the medal show two sides of the bird’s character – the serious, gruff side and a playful, goofy side. The composition of the design is intended to not only be pleasing individually on each side but also displayed side by side, joined to make a single fluid design, so the birds face each other in a yin-yang fashion.”

Ranking second in the American Medal of the Year competition was the Shekel Prize Medal done by Victor Huster for the American Israel Numismatic Association.

Just over 1,000 medals were struck to be given exclusively to Brookgreen members subscribing at the “Presidents Council” level ($275) and higher. Ordering information can be obtained at www.brookgreen.org/membership or by calling 843-235-6000.

The runner-up was the Shekel Prize Medal by Victor Huster, commissioned by the American Israel Numismatic Association. This extra-high relief medal will be awarded annually to the author of the best published work on the subject of Judaean, Israel, Holy Land or Judaic Numismatics.

The medal design features an ancient Judaean shekel stone weight, an ancient Judaean shekel from the First Revolt, and a New Shekel coin of Israel (also designed by Huster).

A special edition of 10 artist proofs were made and are available for $250 each from AINA by calling 818-225-1348.

All of the AMY entries will be illustrated in the AMSA newsletter. Medal collectors and medallists are invited to join the American Medallic Sculpture Association by sending $40 (U.S. and Canada) or $50 (Foreign) to AMSA, P.O. Box 1201, Edmonds, WA 98020.