Anonymous Was A Woman announced yesterday the ten artists selected to receive the Foundation’s fifteenth annual awards. The “no strings” grant of $25,000 enables women, over 45 years of age and at a critical juncture in their lives or careers, to continue to grow and pursue their work.
Lauren Katzowitz Shenfield, administrator of the program, explained, “Anonymous Was A Woman Awards are synonymous with important recognition in artists’ personal and artistic development. The financial gift helps artists buy time, space, materials, and equipment, often at early stages of a new project, and, sometimes, recover from traumatic life events. In itself, the Award helps artists feel recognized and honored by other distinguished women who seek no credit for the role they play.”
The name of the grant program, Anonymous Was A Woman, refers to a line in Virginia Wolf’s A Room of One’s Own. As the name implies, the nominators and those associated with the program are unnamed.
To date, 151 women have received the award. Each year, an outstanding group of distinguished women – art historians, curators, writers and previous winners – serve as nominators.
Below are a sampling of works from this year’s nominees.
Maureen Connor: Instillation and Video
Samm Kunce: Conceptual Artist
Louise Lawler: Artist and Photographer
Suzanne McClelland: Painter
Joyce Pensato: Painter
Laura Poitras: Documentary Film Maker
Victoria Sambunaris: Photographer
Arlene Shechet: Sculptor
Eve Sussman: Artist / Film-Video
