BRAVA Award Winners 2025

Bainbridge Island Museum of Art (BIMA) is thrilled to announce the second class of BRAVA Award recipients: Sarah Bryant, Dan Friday, Yolanda Galery, and Nikki McClure.

BRAVA—BIMA Recognizes Achievement in the Visual Arts—honors contemporary artists, craftspeople, and makers whose work reflects exceptional artistic vision, technical skill, and meaningful contributions to their field.

This year’s honorees represent four distinct areas: Artist’s Book, Indigenous and First Nations Art, Emerging Artist, and Children’s Book Illustration. Each recipient will receive an unrestricted $15,000 award in recognition of their creative excellence and impact.

The BRAVA Awards are made possible by the generosity of a visionary BIMA supporter, inspired by the museum’s mission to champion and uplift working artists.

“We are thrilled to be able to honor these four individuals with a BRAVA Award in its inaugural year,” said Sheila Hughes, BIMA’s Executive Director. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for this museum to be able to make a meaningful difference to the lives of working artists. We hope the Award serves as affirmation and recognition for each of these exceptional artists and inspires them to continue their personal journey to interpret the world through their art and craft.”

BIMA’s initial class of BRAVA Award recipients is:

Artists’ Books Artist Award (United States)

Sarah Bryant

Sarah Bryant is a book artist whose work investigates the relationship between structure, language, and the communication of complex information. She earned her MFA in Book Arts from the University of Alabama, where she now teaches. In 2006, she founded Big Jump Press to produce limited edition books, prints, and design projects. Drawing on data, archival materials, and scientific imagery, her tactile works explore themes like anatomy and systems theory. Collected internationally, Bryant’s books reflect her interdisciplinary approach to bookmaking and her belief in the book as a space for inquiry, reflection, and shared meaning.

Native American & First Nations Artist Award (Salish Sea region)

Dan Friday

Dan Friday is a Seattle-based glass artist and enrolled member of the Lummi Nation. Raised in a creative, tradition-rich family, his early years were shaped by hands-on learning and Coast Salish heritage. Discovering glassblowing in his youth, he found a life-changing medium that now spans over 25 years. His work blends ancestral imagery with contemporary techniques, often in totemic, narrative forms. Friday has taught and held residencies internationally, and his work is widely collected. Through glass, he continues Indigenous storytelling, honoring tradition while forging new paths in contemporary art.

Emerging Artist Award (Puget Sound region)

Yolanda Galery

Yolanda Galery is a Seattle-based contemporary painter whose vibrant portraits explore cultural identity, self-acceptance, and natural beauty. Rooted in her African-American heritage, her work celebrates Black women, natural hairstyles, and emotive expression. Galery began painting in 2020 and now practices full-time while balancing motherhood. Using acrylic and digital media, she challenges beauty standards and uplifts melanated people with joy and nuance. Her art is both personal and socially resonant, celebrating resilience, grace, and visibility.

2025 Special Choice Category: Children’s Book Illustrator Award (Puget Sound region)

Nikki McClure

Nikki McClure is a children’s book author and illustrator based in Olympia, Washington, known for her bold, hand-cut paper artwork. Raised near the Salish Sea, she studied marine biology at The Evergreen State College, where she began blending art and science. In 1996, she developed her signature paper-cutting style while creating her first book, Apple. McClure has since authored and illustrated over a dozen books, celebrated for their themes of nature, community, and seasonal life in the Pacific Northwest. Her work fosters a deep, poetic connection between young readers and the natural world.

THE AWARD

Each of the four BRAVA awardees receive an unrestricted award of $15,000. In addition to the cash prize, the recipient of each award receives:

Recognition in BIMA media;
A short video to be produced about the recipient;
Invitation to participate in an Award Ceremony at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art;
Invitation to serve as one of the jurors on the review panel of the next biennial award process.