Weems Announces Winner of Juried Art Show, Into the Meridian

Weems Gallery and Framing has announced Nicholas Ioan Lazaroe as the prize winner of its summer juried art show, Into the Meridian: Art from the New West. The exhibition features a competitive selection of emerging artists from Wyoming, Montana, Texas, Utah, New Mexico, and California, and runs through July 11th, 2026.

The show's final prize of $2500 was selected by guest judge Roy Johnson, former longtime owner of Downtown Albuquerque’s Sumner & Dene gallery. Johnson, who brings over forty years of gallery experience to the selection process, noted the high quality of regional talent in this year's lineup.

Nicholas Ioan Lazaroe, a contemporary artist based in Utah, won the top award for his collaborative documentary photography. His work focuses on how traditional ranching communities are adapting to climate change, answering the show's core question: what it means to be truly rooted in the American West today.

Into the Meridian features a wide variety of styles and mediums that explore the modern identity of the West. The full roster of featured artists included Nicholas Ioan Lazaroae, Russell Brausch, Jennifer Boyuan Han, Ben Normand, Pámela Vigo Sánchez, Chris Easley, Nolan Flynn, Rebecca Salazar, Samantha Ward, and Rosario Lucero.

The public can view the winning artwork and the rest of the Into the Meridian collection at Weems Gallery until Saturday July 11.