Trellis Art Fund Awards 12 Artists $100,000 Unrestricted Grants, Ongoing Support For Building Their Careers

Amid widespread clamor that artists lack support and funding necessary to thrive, a newly established private foundation has awarded 12 artists $100,000 each, along with professional resources to shepherd their creative endeavors long-term. Liberating recipients from wrangling with the red tape of traditional grants, the unrestricted funds encourage and stimulate the creative process and empower the artists to decide how the money is best spent.

More than 75 curators, historians, artists, and other art world professionals from across the United States were invited by Trellis Art Fund’s advisory board to nominate up to three artists working in the U.S. The 12 awardees, who will receive two $50,000 installments over two years, were selected from 157 applicants. Moreover, two grants were reserved for artists who are parents of children under 12, recognizing the challenge of maintaining long studio hours while raising children.

“Artists, at every stage of their career, need support and acknowledgement. Taking a broad look at the visual arts community, Trellis trusts each artist to respond to the grant in the manner that most benefits them. Trusting in these varied investigations promises to help in the creation of deep and surprising work.,” Arlene Shechet, a renowned multidisciplinary sculptor living and working in New York City and the Hudson Valley and a member of the Trellis Art Fund advisory board, said in an email.

The majority, 81%, of nominated artists (ages 30-89) are of people of color, and 37% identified as LGBTQIA+, underscoring the need for greater representation in the art world.

“Our grantees have demonstrated a trajectory of excellence and a sustained professional commitment on a constant basis in the practice,” said Marcela Guerrero, the DeMartini Family Curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art and a member of the Trellis Art Fund advisory board, said during a celebration Thursday night at the The Drawing Center, a spacious museum and nonprofit exhibition space in Manhattan.

The artist-grantees mingled with a lively crowd, examining The Way I See It: Selections from the KAWS Collection, featuring more than 350 artworks chosen by Brian Donnelly, known professionally as KAWS, from his extensive personal collection of more than 3,000 works on paper by some 500 artists.

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The exhibition, spanning an array of artworks from the 20th and 21st centuries encompassing a broad range of what defines “drawing,” including comics, commercial illustrations, and graffiti sketches, is on view through January 19, 2025. It’s a singular exploration of the art form, featuring works by: blue chip auction darling Willem de Kooning; self-taught masters such as Martín Ramírez, Henry Darger, and Adolf Wölfli; comic artists including R. Crumb; and graffiti writers such as DONDI, SERVE, and FUTURA 2000. It’s a delight to navigate the myriad styles and subjects while congratulating the dozen artists who seek inspirations from those who have already gained career acclaim.

Learn more about the awardees: Candida Alvarez (Chicago), American Artist (New York), Ja'Tovia Gary (Dallas), Jorge González Santos (San Juan), Every Ocean Hughes (New York), Autumn Knight (New York), Young Joon Kwak (Los Angeles), Lorraine O'Grady New York), Paul Pfeiffer (New York), Ronny Quevedo (New York), Alison Saar (New York), and Shizu Saldamando (Los Angeles).

The artists work across a variety of media including painting, sculpture, video, performance, and social practice. Recipients may use their awards to create work or to fund any personal or professional needs.