The Judy Chicago Art Education Award, funded by MaryRoss Taylor, is an annual award given by Through the Flower that honors Judy Chicago and her pioneering work as an art educator. Winners are awarded a certificate and a $5,000 prize at a ceremony in Belen, NM. The award is open to scholars, educators and students creating educational projects using any of the archives included in the Judy Chicago Research Portal. This year, the award honors Judy Chicago: Herstory, a landmark retrospective that opened at the New Museum, New York, in October 2023 and was extended until March 6, 2024. The Judy Chicago Art Education Award will be given to projects related to and inspired by the “City of Ladies,” an exhibition within the exhibition that contextualizes the work of Chicago as both an artist and a cultural historian while presenting an alternative to the patriarchal canon that has dominated art and cultural history.
Inspired by Christine de Pisan’s 1405 groundbreaking book on historic women, the “City of Ladies” consists of works by nearly ninety other female artists, writers and cultural figures. Collectively, they form the background of Chicago’s career and are linked by a number of themes that have – for the most part – been omitted or wrongly classified in art history. This installation can be viewed as a profound institutional critique as noted by arts writer and author, Katy Hessel, who observed: “Outside [this exhibition] I’ve only seen a handful of artworks by these women – all of which makes me wonder about the priorities of our mainstream museums.” Among the women represented in the “City of Ladies” are such notables as Frida Kahlo, Artemisia Gentileschi, Rosa Bonheur, Hannah Höch, Virginia Woolf, and Edmonia Lewis along with those perhaps less well known such as Djuna Barnes, Pop Chalee, Jeanne Mammen, and many others.
A companion study to The City of Ladies installation was created by the New Museum, and made available for research. For a full scope of the women included in the installation see the New Museum exhibition and catalogue.
Proposals for the 2023 Judy Chicago Art Education Award should draw on the themes of institutional critique, the erasure or omittance of work by marginalized groups, and the notion of an alternative canon by which all historic contributions should be evaluated.
The Judy Chicago Research Portal archives include her paper archives at the Schlesinger Library for the History of Women in America at Harvard; her art education archive and “The Dinner Party K-12 curriculum” (written by Chicago with a team of distinguished curriculum writers at Penn State) at Penn State University Libraries; her visual archives housed at the National Museum of Women in the Arts; her comprehensive fireworks archive, including materials related to Chicago’s work with colored smoke, dry ice, and fireworks (part of the Center for Art + Environment Archive Collections at the Nevada Museum of Art). Additional resources include the Through the Flower Art Space Resource Center in Belen, NM and the University of New Mexico-Valencia Campus By and About Women Library.
Through the Flower is proud of our legacy of sponsoring and supporting projects focused on the importance of art and its role in countering the erasure of women’s achievements in history. A crucial part of this legacy is the power of art to inspire such action that has far-reaching impact. Read about past award-winning projects here.
NOTE:
Proposed projects should be completed within 12 months of the award presentation. Award winners will be required to submit written quarterly updates on the progress of their project and a final report within 60 days of the completion of their project.
Awardees will receive an initial payment of $2,500 at the time of the award ceremony with the remaining $2,500 paid at the project’s completion.
Project Abstract that includes:
Reference List that includes:
Is this only open to art educators?
No! While we encourage art educators to apply, we accept applications from anyone proposing a project that is based in research using any of the archives in the Judy Chicago Research Portal as long as it is related to Judy Chicago: Herstory.
Can I apply with a group/collective/etc., or is this open to individuals only?
Absolutely! We accept applications from individuals and from groups, just indicate that this is who is applying in the application form.
Is this award to promote past projects or to fund future projects?
This award is to fund future projects. However, if you are currently working on a project that uses research related to the themes in Judy Chicago: Herstory from the Judy Chicago Research Portal or related archives, these projects are eligible.
When will I be notified of my application status?
We will notify all applicants by mid September.
Can I submit a paper application?
No. All applications must be submitted online through this link here.
Is this an international call or is it open only to US residents?
This is an international call. Applicants from all over the world can apply.
