Burke Prize 2019

An exhibition of works of the 2019 finalists and winner of the Museum's Burke Prize, awarded to a contemporary artist under the age of forty-five working in glass, fiber, clay, metal, and/or wood. Named for Marian and Russell Burke, two passionate collectors of craft and longtime supporters of MAD, the Burke Prize represents emerging voices expanding the disciplines at the core of American studio craft movement whose highly accomplished work demonstrates a strong use of materials, innovative processes, and conceptual rigor and relevance. A jury of professionals in the fields of art, craft, and design choose the winner of the unrestricted award of $50,000.

Winner

Indira Allegra, Oakland, CA
Born in Detroit, Michigan and now based in Oakland, California, Allegra (b.1980) makes sculptures, performances, texts, and installations investigating memorial practices and the unseen forces of generational trauma. She activates elements of looms and other weaving tools through movement and dance, using her body as the metaphorical thread to explore political and emotional tensions unspoken in society and carried within the body.

Finalists

Elizabeth Alexander, Winston-Salem, NC
Bisa Butler, West Orange, NJ
Amber Cowan, Philadelphia, PA
Tanda Francis, Brooklyn, NY
Bojana Ginn, Decatur, GA
Raven Halfmoon, Norman, OK
Salvador Jiménez-Flores, Chicago, IL
Lauren Kalman, Detroit, MI
Helen Lee, Madison, WI
Linda Lopez, Fayetteville, AR
Jaydan Moore, Richmond, VA
Sophia Narrett, Brooklyn, NY
Sara Rahbar, New York, NY
Julie Schenkelberg, Detroit, MI
Sarah Zapata, Brooklyn, NY

Burke Prize 2019 Jury

Julia Bryan-Wilson
Doris and Clarence Malo Professor of Modern and Contemporary Art, UC Berkeley

Valerie Cassel Oliver
Sydney and Frances Lewis Family Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Cannupa Hanska Luger
2018 Burke Prize Winner