The Bainbridge Island Museum of Art recently announced the winners of its 2026 BIMA Recognizes Achievement in the Visual Arts, or BRAVA, awards.
The awards — which are directly inspired by BIMA founder Cynthia Sears — seek to honor regional contemporary artists, craftspeople, and makers.
This year’s award recipients include Gabriel Zea, who won the Emerging Artist award for the Puget Sound region; Ryan Feddersen, who won the Native American and First Nations award for the Salish Sea region; Inge Bruggeman, who took home the Artists’ Books Artist award; and Priscilla Dobler Dzul, who received the Puget Sound region’s Ceramics Artist award.
Winners are selected by an independent jury committee and will receive $15,000 of unrestricted funding plus promotional videos, publicity, and award-ceremony recognition. They are also invited to serve as one of the panelists for the next year’s review process.