Artist Award Roundup: Ellsworth Kelly Award Goes to Dakota Mace, Archives of American Art Awards Medal to Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, and More

Interdisciplinary artist Dakota Mace was named this year’s winner of the Ellsworth Kelly Award, which is administered by the New York–based Foundation for Contemporary Arts. The annual grant comes with a $45,000 purse in support of a solo exhibition. Based in Madison, Wisconsin, Mace plans to use the funds to create 2,000 newly commissioned chemigrams—a painting or drawing made on light sensitive paper—using natural cochineal dye, as well as archival photography prints. She will install them at SITE Santa Fe, as part of a solo exhibition slated to open in March 2025.

This year’s winner of one of Australia’s largest art awards, the Hadley Art Prize, is Yankunytjatjara artist Vicki Yatjiki Cullinan for her 2023 work Ngayuku Ngura (My Country). The annual prize, worth $100,000, is given to “the most outstanding portrayal” of the Australian landscape. “My painting is connected to the Tjukurpa (Ancestral Stories) that I know, but also my paintings are an extension of who I am, and how I interpret my place in the world,” Cullinan said in in a statement. Additionally, the $10,000 Hadley’s Residency Prize was awarded to Melissa Kenihan, with honorable mentions given to Joshua Andree, Patrick Mung Mung, Joan Ross, and Denise Brady.

The Smithsonian Institution’s Archives of American Art named the recipients of its two annual awards. Retired curator Ruth Fine, who was a curator of special projects in modern art and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., has recieved the Lawrence A. Fleischman Award for Scholarly Excellence in the Field of American Art History, while the Keith Haring Foundation and Indigenous artist, activist, and educator Jaune Quick-to-See Smith (who is currently the subject of a retrospective at the Whitney Museum) are the recipients of the Archives of American Art Medal. Together, these awards recognize those who have made substantial contributions to American art. They will be honored at the Archives of American Art annual gala on October 24 in New York.

The nonprofit grant-making organization Artadia named Sofía Córdova, Heesoo Kwon, and Ranu Mukherjee its 2023 San Francisco Bay Area Artadia awardees. They will each receive $15,000 in unrestricted funds, as well as access to Artadia’s network of artists, curators, and donors. The awards were increased by $5,000 for the first time in five years.

Frieze awarded Woo Hannah its inaugural Artist Award at Frieze Seoul. Supported by the luxury jewelry company Bulgari, the award offers a debut platform for a newly commissioned work by an emerging artist at the fair, which will open its second edition next month. The winning piece, titled The Great Ballroom, suspends draped fabric reminiscent of a woman’s gradually aging breasts. The award was selected by a panel of jurors including curator Reuben Keehan, artistic director Kim Sunjung, curator Koh Wonseok, artist Moon Kyungwon, and former ARTnews executive editor Andrew Russeth.

Also selected by Frieze was Adham Faramawy for the 2023 Artist Award at Frieze London. In its fifth year, the winner similarly gets to debut a new commission at the fair in October. Faramawy’s video and sculptural assemblage And these deceitful waters probe the history of the Thames river as a site of colonization and ecological collapse. Previous winners include such artists as Himali Singh Soin, Alberta Whittle, Sung Tieu, and Abbas Zahedi.

The Pollock-Krasner Foundation awarded Oliver Lee Jackson its Lee Krasner Award in recognition for a lifetime of artistic achievement. As a painter, sculptor, printmaker, and draftsman, Jackson’s disciplinary practice and active support of African American artists earned him this honor. Additionally, the foundation awarded $2,657,400 in grants to 93 artists and nonprofit organizations around the world. “We are so pleased to recognize Jackson’s innovative experimentation in his practice, his deep commitment to community engagement, his teaching, and his leadership in the arts community with this award for a lifetime of outstanding achievement,” said Caroline Black, executive director of the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, in a statement.

Sculptor and installation artist Risa Puno is the recipient of the Brookfield Place New York 2024 Annual Arts Commission. Puno, whose piece will be unveiled next summer, creates work exploring human connection through interactive experiences. Now in its 35th year, Arts Brookfield has had a long history of supporting art through the real estate company Brookfield Properties.

The nonprofit Fundación Ama Amoedo announced ten winners across four categories for the first edition of the Fundación Ama Amoedo Grants. The categories spanned artists, art and social engagement, organizations, and publications. The winning artists included Paula Castro, Sofía Córdova, Rafael Rg, and Campo Sucio, along with Ruta del Castor and Solar dos Abacaxis for art and social engagement. They will each receive $10,000.

The art center NXTHVN, cofounded by Titus Kaphar and Jason Price, named its 2023–24 Studio and Curatorial Fellows, including Adrian Armstrong, Alexandria Couch, Marquita Flowers, Eric Hart Jr., Clare Patrick, Fidelis Joseph, Jamaal Peterman, Eugene Macki, and Alex Puz. The curatorial fellows receive a $45,000 stipend and studio fellows receive a $35,000 stipend along with 24-hour access to a workspace and subsidized housing for the year-long program. The fellows work toward a group exhibition at the end of each cycle.

The 2023 Film London Jarman Award, which takes its name from filmmaker Derek Jarman, have shortlisted artists Ayo Akingbade, Andrew Black, Sophie Koko Gate, Julianknxx, Karen Russo, and Rehana Zaman for the annual prize. The winner will receive a £10,000 ($12,726) purse.

The Joyce Foundation announced that the 2023 Joyce Awards have been awarded to Regina Agu with the Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago, Sonny Mehta with Mandala South Asian Performing Arts, Marisa Morán Jahn with the National Public Housing Museum, Marlena Myles with Franconia Sculpture Park, and Julie Tolentino with SPACES. The Joyce Awards support artists of color in partnership with cultural organizations in the Great Lakes region.

Open Calls

Coinciding with its 20th anniversary, the 2024 Joyce Awards is increasing its grant amounts from $75,000 to $100,000 each. Letters of inquiry are due on September 11.

The 2023 Foundwork Artist Prize, an annual juried grant for emerging and mid-career artists working in any medium, is currently accepting applications. This year’s jury panel includes ICA Miami artistic director Alex Gartenfeld, Night Gallery founder Davida Nemeroff, artist Shinique Smith, Medellín Museum of Modern Art chief curator Emiliano Valdés, and dealer Nicola Vassell. The award comes with an unrestricted $10,000 purse and studio visits with each juror. Additionally, the winner and three shortlisted artists will be invited to participate in long-form interviews.

The Nest Heritage Craft Prize is accepting applications from Texas-based makers, artists, and artisans. The prize focuses on skill, technique, and cultural value. The winner will receive a $25,000 grant and four semi-finalists will each receive a $2,500 cash prize. A partnership with French luxury goods company Hermès will also bring a two-day showcase to Dallas. Judges include artist and philanthropist Heather Winn, Hermès chairman Robert Chavez, curator Christopher Blay, Dallas Contemporary executive director Carolina Alvarez-Mathies, and Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center executive director Cristina Balli.