Open Call for the 2021 Burke Prize
The Burke Prize is a contemporary art prize for a new generation of artists working in a world of expanded media with a foundation in glass, fiber, clay, metal, or wood. Selected by a diverse and distinguished jury of curators, artists, and scholars through an open-call application process, the Burke Prize winner receives an unrestricted award of $50,000 and a major exhibition with a select group of finalists at the Museum.
One 2021 Burke Prize artist will also be selected for the biannual Burke Residency at The Studio of The Corning Museum of Glass. The Burke Residency artist will receive a one-month to five-week residency with all the benefits and opportunities awarded to artists selected for The Studio's Artist-in-Residence program.
Inspired by the disciplines that shaped the American studio craft movement, the Burke Prize is named for Marian and Russell Burke, two longtime supporters of MAD and passionate collectors of craft. Established in 2018, the Burke Prize honors exceptional artists, 45 or under, working in the United States whose highly accomplished work is conceptually rigorous, relevant, and pushes the boundaries of materials and creative processes.
2021 Burke Prize Jurors
Indira Allegra, 2019 Burke Prize winner
Elissa Auther, Ph.D., Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs, William and Mildred Lasdon Chief Curator (Chair)
Andrew Gardner, Curatorial Assistant, Architecture and Design, The Museum of Modern Art
Gabriel de Guzman, Curator and Director of Exhibitions, Smack Mellon Gallery
Previous Winners
Indira Allegra (United States, b. 1980) makes sculptures, performances, texts, and installations that investigate memorial practices and the unseen forces of generational trauma. She uses the ideology and methodology of weaving to explore the repetitive intersections of forces held under tension, be they material, social, or emotional. Allegra holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts, with high distinction, from California College of the Arts, where she studied visual studies, writing, and textile. She also earned an Associate of Applied Science in Sign Language Interpretation from Portland Community College and studied biology at Yale University. She has received the Artadia Award (2018), Tosa Studio Award (2018), Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts Artist Project Grant (2018), MAP Fund Grant (2018), and Windgate Craft Fellowship (2016), among other accolades.
Cannupa Hanska Luger (United States, b. 1979) is a multidisciplinary artist of Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, Lakota, Austrian, and Norwegian descent. Through monumental installations that incorporate ceramics, video, sound, fiber, steel, and cut paper, he interweaves performance and political action to communicate stories about twenty-first-century indigeneity. Using social collaboration in response to timely and site-specific issues, Luger produces multipronged projects that often present a call to action, provoking diverse publics to engage with indigenous peoples and values outside the lens of colonial social structuring. He lectures and participates in residencies around the globe, and his work is collected internationally.
FAQs
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What are the application requirements?
Applicants must be:
- A United States citizen or a permanent legal resident
- At least 21 years old and not older than 45 at the time of application
- A working artist who can demonstrate a commitment to the practice as a professional
Applicants cannot be:
- An institution or a small business
- A student in a degree-granting program or its equivalent at the time of application, even if graduation is pending the same year
- A current employee, consultant, board member, or major funder of the Museum of Arts and Design, or an immediate family member of such a person
- A previous recipient of the Burke Prize
Why is there an age restriction?
We recognize that there are many talented artists over the age of 45, but most (although not all) have had the benefit of time to create a stronger professional network and economic foundation for their practice. By giving visibility to young artists who represent the next generation working in the traditional American studio craft disciplines of glass, fiber, clay, metal, or wood, we hope to carry craft into the future—both by inspiring artists to pursue these disciplines and by inspiring curators, critics, and collectors to recognize their work. In the end, this impacts the whole field.
In the past, “young” or “next generation” has often meant under the age of 30 or 40. We have expanded this to 45 to accommodate the length of time many artists take to complete schooling as well as the exceptional financial burden that schooling places on young artists today, requiring most to pursue full-time employment before they can fully dedicate themselves to the studio.
Can collectives apply?
We understand that there are many collaborative partnerships in the art world, and we encourage you to apply as long as all members of the collective meet the requirements of the application. You can find specific instructions on how to navigate our application as a collective in the application itself. Collectives must demonstrate an extensive collaborative practice. There is no limit as to how many members a collective can have.
What is the jury looking for in the winner?
The prize recognizes exceptional artwork in form and concept. Please submit the work that you see as best representing your art practice, and that reflects both your mastery of your craft and your innovation within your field.
Do I have to work solely in one of the five media (glass, fiber, clay, metal, wood)?
No, you do not, although these media and your skill in handling them, both manually and conceptually, should be evident in your application. Applicants can work in all five media, a combination of these media, or a combination of these media and others not listed, like video or performance.
I don’t have an MFA. Can I still apply?
Yes.
I work in one of the media listed, but I focused my schooling on painting (or video, or another studio discipline). Can I still apply?
Yes.
Craft has been a hobby of mine for some time. Should I apply?
While we accept applications from self-taught artists, your practice should be a full-time, professional pursuit, not a part-time hobby. In the end, it is up to you to judge your commitment to your practice before taking the time to submit.
When can I apply?
The application will open April 1, 2020 to May 31, 2020. The application will reopen in the Spring of 2022.
If I don’t win the award, can I apply again next cycle?
Yes, as long as you still meet the requirements for application.
If I win, will I have to pay taxes on my award?
Yes, all cash prizes are taxable income.
For any questions or concerns not addressed in the “FAQ” section, please email burkeprize@madmuseum.org.