Multimedia artist Lydia Kern has been named winner of the 2024 Diane Gabriel Visual Artist Award by Burlington City Arts. Kern is the fourth recipient of this award, which carries a cash prize of $5,000 plus a $1,000 credit to BCA Studios.
Kern’s sculptural artwork explores themes of care, preservation and connection through found or reclaimed materials, to which she grants a ceremonial significance. Focused on relationships with those who have passed on, Kern creates ambiguous forms and symbols that evoke the fragile nature of life.
“I'm extremely grateful to receive the multifaceted support of the Diane Gabriel Award at this moment in my career," Kern said. "This support will assist me in building a new body of work that explores grief as a transformative force: an illuminator for what we wish to preserve and carry into the future.
The award was established in 2021 by the family of Diane Gabriel (1947-2017), one of Vermont’s most celebrated artists and educators. This award is given on an annual basis to emerging Vermont-based artists.