Vermont Business Magazine Four Vermont contemporary art organizations are teaming up for the fourth year in a row to award The Vermont Prize. The prize is a collaborative initiative of the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC), Burlington City Arts (BCA), the Hall Art Foundation, and The Current, intended to celebrate and support outstanding visual art being made in Vermont today.
“There is an astonishing variety of exceptional visual art being created in Vermont today,” said BMAC Director Danny Lichtenfeld. “The Vermont Prize aims to draw attention to that fact and provide recognition and encouragement to Vermont’s visual artists.”
The Vermont Prize is awarded to one artist annually. The winner receives $5,000, and their work is showcased and archived at vermontprize.org. The competition is open to individuals as well as collaborating artists currently living and working in Vermont. Artists working in any visual medium are welcome to apply. There is no application fee.
The application deadline is March 31, 2025. The winner will be selected on the basis of artistic excellence, regardless of career stage, and will be announced by June 30, 2025. To apply, visit vermontprize.org.
Last year’s winner was Sarah Amos of Enosburg Falls, a printmaker who creates large-scale, mixed-media stitched works. Describing her work, Amos says, “Through the integration of collagraph printmaking technique on acrylic felt, I establish a foundation upon which I layer free-form stitching, incorporating linear and organic patterns using bamboo thread and subtle color shifts.”
Prior winners were Will Kasso Condry (2022) of Brandon and Terry Ekasala (2023) of East Burke.
The Vermont Prize is juried by one representative from each of the four partner organizations, plus a special guest juror. This year’s guest juror is Denise Markonish, Chief Curator at MASS MoCA. Markonish has more than 25 years of experience producing and commissioning large-scale and experiential exhibitions and publishing catalogues. In 2023, she became the first Chief Curator in MASS MoCA’s history, where she has commissioned works by Nick Cave, Jeffrey Gibson, Teresita Fernandez, Nari Ward, and more. In addition to her work at MASS MoCA, she has taught at Williams College and the Rhode Island School of Design, and was a visiting curator at Artpace in San Antonio, Texas, and Haystack School of Craft in Deer Isle, Maine.
The four other jurors are Maryse Brand, Director of the Hall Art Foundation, Heather Ferrell, Curator and Director of Exhibitions at BCA, Sarah Freeman, Director of Exhibitions at BMAC, and Rachel Moore, Executive Director of The Current.
“We are proud to celebrate and support contemporary artists living and working in Vermont today with The Vermont Prize, while also expanding on popular ideas of what constitutes ‘Vermont art’,” Brand said.
“Supporting contemporary art and artists is essential to providing for a vibrant and healthy community, and The Vermont Prize recognizes the incredible talent and contributions of artists working within our state,” said BCA Executive Director Doreen Kraft.
“The Vermont Prize is a great opportunity for us to see artwork by artists from all over the state,” Freeman said. “It is a celebration of the rich artistic talent that is all around us.”
“We are delighted to be part of this collective effort to support and uplift exemplary contemporary artists living and working in Vermont,” Moore said.
For press inquiries, contact Sarah Weiler at [email protected].
How to Apply
The Vermont Prize opens for submissions on February 1, 2025.
Submissions are due March 31, 2025, 11:59PM
The Vermont Prize accepts submissions from artists living and working in Vermont. Artists working in any medium may apply. There is no submission fee.
ARTISTS If you applied to The Vermont Prize in previous years and would like to simply re-submit your earlier application for consideration again this year, please email us at [email protected] to let us know. We will then add your earlier application to this year's pool, and you will have an opportunity to log in and make any changes you'd like.
About the Four Partner Organizations
Founded in 1972, the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) is a non-collecting contemporary art museum focused on the art of our time. An anchor of southern Vermont’s vibrant cultural life, BMAC brings notable art and artists to Brattleboro and provides a platform for its region’s many talented artists. BMAC presents 15-20 exhibitions annually, complemented by 60-70 public programs and extensive educational offerings developed in partnership with area schools and service organizations.
For more than 30 years, Burlington City Arts (BCA) has helped cement Burlington, Vermont’s reputation as one of America’s most livable cities for the arts. BCA’s locations include the BCA Center, a three-level, year-round exhibition space featuring regional, national, and international artists, and BCA Studios, which hosts art classes, camps, and open studio hours in its state-of-the-art facilities. BCA also produces city-wide festivals, events, concerts, films, artist markets, and more.
Founded in 2007, the Hall Art Foundation makes available postwar and contemporary art works from its own collection and that of Andrew and Christine Hall for the enjoyment and education of the public. In Reading, Vermont, its campus of converted galleries, situated on a former dairy farm, consists of a 19th-century stone farmhouse, three barns, and a reception center and cafe. The property’s five historic buildings make up approximately 6,000 square feet of museum-quality exhibition space, and are surrounded by approximately 400 acres of pastures, hayfields, and extensive woodland. Outdoor sculptures by world-renowned artists are installed throughout the grounds.
The Current, a center for contemporary art in Stowe, Vermont, produces major exhibitions featuring a range of artists representing diverse geographies and career stages. Exhibitions are accompanied by a robust interpretive learning program including lectures, panels, and film screenings free to the public. The Current provides progressive arts education programs for all ages, with year-round classes, tours, workshops, and other interactive programs.
1.22.2025. BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — https://www.vermontprize.org/
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