EMERGING ARTIST GRANT
The Emerging Artist Award reflects our commitment to fostering emerging visual artists who demonstrate profound dedication to contemporary creative practices and exhibit the potential to make transformative contributions to the field. Since its inception in 1996, this award has annually granted $10,000 to eight artists in Greater New York City, who have not yet had a solo exhibition.
This year, we are proud to expand the Emerging Artist Grants, enabling ten talented recipients to each receive unrestricted grants of $12,500, with a special tribute award of $15,000 in honor of Peter Hort, who passed away in 2022.
kiarita, holding you, holding me, precious jewels, 2023
Annie Hémond Hotte, Labyrinth Woman (hands tied), 2023
Harry Davies, Untitled, 2023
Hyeree Ro, Seseri, 2018
Over the past two decades, this honor has evolved into a symbol of distinction, identifying artists at pivotal early career junctures who continue to create remarkable work. Our esteemed alumni, including luminaries like Sarah Sze, Kehinde Wiley, Dana Schutz, Mickalene Thomas, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, and Jennifer Packer, exemplify our Foundation’s impact on the global art scene.
Jazmin Urrea, Red 40, 2017
Ander Mikalson
Sebastian Hernandez, Anther September 13, 2019
Rachel LaBine
Our alumni consistently achieve extraordinary recognition. Sarah Sze, a 1997 Emerging Artist Grant recipient and 2003 MacArthur Fellow, exhibited Timelapse at the Guggenheim Museum in 2023, and Art21 featured 2013 Emerging Artist Grant recipient Aliza Nisenbaum in a newly released film. Yevgeniya Baras, a recipient of the 2014 Emerging Artist Grant, is a recipient of the prestigious 2022-2023 Pollock-Krasner Foundation Artist Grant, and Samantha Nye, a 2018 grantee of our ACE program, has been awarded the 2023 Guggenheim Fellowship. These accomplishments underscore the profound impact of RHMF’s support of emerging artists.
“Receiving the grant has had a massive impact on my career. I would not be here if it weren’t for the fact that I was able to buy paint—cover my expenses during a time at which I had no other options.” —Kehinde Wiley, Emerging Artist Grantee
Mickalene Thomas, Portrait of Mnonja, 2010
Kehinde Wiley, John, 1st Baron Byron, 2013
Sarah Sze, Triple Point, 2013
Korakrit Arunanondchai, 2012-2555, 2012
“There are so many layers of appreciation that I feel deep down, both in the short-term, what it will mean for my daily life for the next few months, but also the long-term, what receiving this award will mean in the longer arc of my life as a working artist.” — Lee Relvas, Emerging Artist Grantee
