Memorial Award Histories

The James Ackley McBride Landscape Award (Best Landscape)

This award has been given to a selected artist at every PSA Annual Exhibition since the late 1920s. Dr. and Mrs. McBride established the award in the memory of their son, James Ackley McBride.

James served in the French Army during WWI, transferred to the American Expeditionary Force in 1917, was a 1st Lieutenant and pilot in the 9th Aero Squadron on the Western Front. He died October 6, 1918 and was buried in Argonne Remy Cemetary in Europe. Eva Ackley McBride was an artist painting oil and watercolor landscapes. She studied with Henry Joseph Breuer and William Merit Chase. She was an early member of the Pasadena Society of Artists, the California Art Club and the La Jolla Art Club. In 1922, Mrs. McBride was one of the founders of the Pasadena Art Institute, located in the Reed mansion in Carmelita Park, on the northeast corner of Orange Grove and Colorado Boulevards. PSA’s first Annual Exhibition was at the Pasadena Art Institute in 1925.

The Chantal Giddens Memorial Award (Best Painting)

Chantal Giddens was born and educated in France. She studied in Bordeaux, Hong Kong, London and Los Angeles, notably under the renowned artist Douglas Bond. Chantal embraced and was influenced by the diverse cultures from the continents on which she lived, especially her many years in Asia. Her love for Asian design, combined with a passion for myth and fairy tales, were primary elements in her paintings. Studies of women, and the symbols of their emotions and dreams, were a prominent feature of her work. Chantal’s paintings and drawings were always rendered with a meticulous attention to detail and a captivating, alluring elegance.

The Martin Mondrus Memorial Award

(Best Portrait)

Martin Mondrus was a printmaker, painter and a PSA Distinguished Artist during his 50-plus years as a member of the PSA. He was a two-term president of the PSA and won multiple PSA Awards of Merit. Over the years, he had over 20 solo exhibitions throughout California. He studied at ArtCenter School, California State Los Angeles, Claremont Graduate School, Otis Art Institute, and Atelier 17 (Paris). He was a Professor of Art at Glendale Community College and a member of the Los Angeles Printmaking Society.