More than 300 people, including artists and their familes, packed the new Rick Faries gallery in the Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art on Saturday evening to hear international British businessman, art collector and Bermuda resident John Charman announce Kathy Harriott as the inaugural winner of the annual $10,000 John Charman prize for art.

Mr. Charman said the artist's message was "a very powerful one".

"She is a very delightful and thoughtful lady — just as all of the artists who exhibited were both delightfully and extraordinarily creative. I salute her for her prize and her decision. It was thoroughly deserved."

Ms Harriott's winning entry, entitled 'Law of the First Night' and themed on her contention that marriage is about property, featured a free-standing, wedding dress fashioned from painted screen wire, on which she had needlepointed a message. Seen beneath the hemline was a fenced farm with animals grazing.

Describing herself as "delighted and excited" with her success, the artist (who is also the executive director and clinical supervisor at the Women's Resource Centre) said she felt her entry was "a really good piece", but just as important as winning was having visiting judges look at the work of local artists and give them feedback, which was critical.

During his address to the gathering, Mr. Charman described the quality and diversity of the submitted artwork as "absolutely stunning", and said it was "a great tribute" to the individual artists whose work was exhibited in the Rick Faries Gallery. For this reason, and as one of the judges, he found choosing the winner "extremely difficult, and that is why I wanted everyone to feel a winner, because they were".

"These wonderful works of art cannot fail to enrich all our lives, and such enrichment lies at the very heart of our caring society. I hope this is just the beginning of a wonderful journey — a journey that will draw out from our community the incredible depth of artistic talent that lines within Bermuda."

In addition to Ms Harriott's $10,000 prize as the overall winner, Mr. Charman awarded $300 Artcetera gift certificates to the following category winners for the purchase of art materials: Tracy Williams (watercolour), Sharon Wilson (pastel), Vaughn Evans (mixed medi), Vernon Clarke (oil/acrylic), Scott Stallard (photography) and Desmond Fountain (sculpture).

The art lover and collector further donated $200 Artcetera gift certificates to all participants because he felt it was only right for everyone to receive something, and the most appropriate gift was art supplies to encourage them to produce even more work.

The Charman Prize is a 'first' in recognising Bermuda's artistic talents and creativity in such a tangible way, and the concept has been well received by the local arts community.

"I was very touched because so many of them came up to me on Saturday evening and thanked me for the opportunity and the encouragement to display their work, which they otherwise would not have done That is why I am determined to continue ensuring that the Charman Prize will draw out the wonderful talent that lies within our wonderful Island," the donor said.

"I really was thrilled, emotionally taken aback and pleased to see the impact that the Charman Prize had on the local art community. It was just wonderful, and I felt very humbled and very privileged to be able to do it. I am just a catalyst to try and encourage more of these wonderful people to produce more of their wonderful work."

In fact, he expressed the hope that in three years' time such would be the response that the entries would fill the whole of the Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art instead of the smaller Rick Faries Gallery.

Seventy-two artists entered the competition, from which one work was shortlisted. In addition to Mr. Charman, fellow judges were Molly Eppard from the Hollis Taggart Gallery in New York, Carter Foster, curator of drawing at the Whitney Museum, and Bermudian Dr. Charles Zuill.