Amanda Mollindo Wins 2016 Good 'N Plenty Award from Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art

Phoenix artist Amanda Mollindo is the latest creative to win a Good ‘N Plenty Award from Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art.

The annual awards, which were established in 2012, encourage artists and other creative types to develop projects that address local needs and engage community members. 

Six artists pitched ideas before nearly 100 people at the SMoCA Lounge on Friday, October 21. Mollindo's pitch for aftrART earned the most votes from audience members and the prize, which includes cash as well as bragging rights.

Her project involves creating an online professional development resource for emerging artists. She’s working now on the aftrART website that she expects to go live in early November. Mollindo plans to populate the site with written and video content that shares both her own tips and those of various arts professionals.

“I’m so excited about winning this award,” Mollindo says. “This gives me even more motivation to bring valuable information to entrepreneurial artists.”

The project was inspired by Mollindo’s own experiences after graduating from ASU, where she earned a bachelor of fine art in photography.

“I struggled to find resources after I graduated,” Mollindo says. “I want to make sure emerging artists have access to the information they need.”

Tickets to the October 21 event cost $10 each. Proceeds of that event, plus an earlier Wine + Bingo for Art event presented by SMoCA, determined the size of her cash award, which was $1,200.

The money will help pay for technology, such as video equipment, to support the project, Mollindo says.

Mollindo was one of six finalists chosen by a panel of professional creatives that included Cristobal Martinez and Safwat Saleem after the museum issued a public call for project ideas that were conceptually rich, well-formulated, and infused with humor – in addition to being important and beneficial to the community.

Colleen Donohue and Erika Lynne Hanson proposed making a pop-up gallery. Christopher Jagmin pitched creating historical marker-style signs featuring personal stories, and Taylor James proposed a photography exhibit about immigrants who’ve died crossing the Sonoran Desert.

Ron Broglio pitched making votive candles with images of endangered animals, and Alexandra Bowers proposed an art exhibition highlighting the Queen of the Night cactus that blooms just one night each year.

“I was kind of blown away when I got the award,” Mollindo says. “I was competing against some pretty amazing artists.”

She's in good company. 

In August 2014, for example, both Peter Bugg and Mimi Jardine won Good ‘N Plenty awards. Bugg, who now works at SMoCA, pitched a project supporting Eagle Scouts who favored gay rights despite Boy Scout policies to the contrary. Kratz’s project raised awareness about litter, including single-use plastics.

Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art plans to start accepting submissions for its next round of Good ‘N Plenty awards through its website during summer 2017.