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Indepth Arts News:
"Ordway Prize: The Most Generous Iinternational Art Prizes in the World"
2006-01-20 until 2006-01-20
Penny McCall Foundation
New York, NY,
USA United States of America
Jennifer McSweeney, Director of the Penny McCall Foundation (PMF), announced the winners of the inaugural Ordway Prize, one of the most generous international art prizes in the world. The winner in the category of artist is Colombian artist Doris Salcedo, and the winner in the category of curator and/or arts writer is Ralph Rugoff. To be given biennially, the Ordway Prize - with awards this year totaling $230,000 - recognizes individuals in mid-career who have made important contributions to the field of contemporary arts and letters. The winners each received an unrestricted monetary award of $100,000.
The 2005 winners were selected from among six finalists nominated by a distinguished panel of artists, curators, writers, museum professionals, scholars, philanthropists, and leaders in the field of contemporary art, all of whom were invited by Ms. McSweeney to participate in the selection process. The four remaining finalists, artists Sam Durant and Senga Nengudi, and curators and arts writers Lynne Cooke and David Rimanelli, each received awards of $7,500.
Ms. McSweeney stated, "We sincerely hope that the Ordway Prize, and the recognition that comes with it, will make a real difference in the lives of the winners and finalists, helping to fuel their creativity. The Foundation also hopes that, during this difficult period in arts funding, the Prize makes its own contribution to the contemporary art world by bringing gifted artists, arts writers, and curators the acknowledgment and tribute they deserve."
Doris Salcedo creates powerful work that is based on stories of survivors of political violence. Until 2002, Ms. Salcedo‚s art consisted largely of gallery installations comprising assemblages of such objects as pieces of tables, cupboards, and chairs. Many of these works also incorporated organic materials, such as hair, animal skin, and clothing that belonged to victims of violence. Her most recent projects are large-scale installations in open public spaces, including 1550 chairs, created for the 2003 Istanbul Biennial, and Abyss, currently on view at the T1 Triennale in Turin. Ms. Salcedo‚s work has been seen in numerous exhibitions internationally, and is in the collection of major museums worldwide.
Ralph Rugoff is a prolific curator and writer on contemporary art. He is director of the California College of the Arts (CCA) Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, in San Francisco. At CCA, which he joined in 2000, Mr. Rugoff has curated numerous group exhibitions on a variety of topics, ranging from Irreducible: Contemporary Short Form Video, in 2005, to Sudden Glory: Sight Gags and Slapstick in Contemporary Art, in 2002. He has additionally organized projects by several individual artists. Prior to joining CCA, Mr. Rugoff curated diverse exhibitions at museums and galleries internationally. He is the author of publications and regularly contributes essays to books and catalogues, as well as to art magazines and newspapers.
The 2005 Ordway Prize winners and finalists were notified of the Foundation‚s decision today in New York City, shortly before a private celebratory luncheon honoring all six of the finalists.
The next Ordway Prize will be awarded in 2007. As with the 2005 Prize, potential award-winners for 2007 will be selected by nomination only, a process that will be overseen by a panel to be named by Ms. McSweeney. Recipients of the Ordway Prize must be at least forty years of age and have created a significant body of work over a minimum of fifteen years. Nominees are considered from around the world.
The Ordway Prize is named in honor of Ms. McSweeney's great-great aunt, Katharine Ordway, who was an exemplary philanthropist, avid art collector, and lifelong naturalist. Ms. Ordway, who bequeathed her entire 149-piece collection of twentieth-century art to the Yale University Art Gallery, died in June 1979.
Penny McCall Foundation
The Penny McCall Foundation, a private organization dedicated to supporting contemporary artists, arts writers, and curators, was established in 1987 by the late David McCall, as a gift for his wife, the late Penny McCall. From 1988 to 2004, the Foundation awarded more than $2 million to emerging artists, arts writers, and curators. In 2005, under the direction of Ms. McSweeney (Penny McCall‚s daughter), the Foundation initiated the biennial Ordway Prize. For additional information about the Penny McCall Foundation, the public may visit www.pennymccallfoundation.org.
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