Phoenix Art Museum announces call for submissions by Arizona-based artists for 2024 Sally and Richard Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards

Nov, 02, 2023

Special Events and Programs

Phoenix Art Museum announces call for submissions by Arizona-based artists for 2024 Sally and Richard Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards

PhxArt doubles prize money for Lehmann Emerging Artist Award recipients; to collaborate with Artlink on call

PHOENIX (November 2, 2023) – Phoenix Art Museum has opened the annual call for submission for the institution’s Sally and Richard Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards (Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards). The juried grant program provides recognition and financial support for emerging, professional, Arizona-based artists. For the 2024 Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards open call, Phoenix Art Museum is collaborating with Artlink, a Phoenix-based arts organization that will host and help promote the call for artwork submissions. The call is open from November 1 – December 17, 2023 to local artists who wish to present their work for consideration. There is no cost to submit an application. Up to two Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards recipients will be announced on February 23, 2024, with each receiving a $10,000 grant (previously $5,000) and the opportunity to participate in a group exhibition at Phoenix Art Museum in fall 2024. This increase in monetary support is made possible through the generosity of the Cohn Fund for Arts & Culture, a component fund of the Arizona Community Foundation.  

The Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards foster the creation of contemporary art by encouraging emerging artists working in Arizona through grants and annual exhibitions as well as by providing additional programming opportunities for artist talks with the community and hosted at Phoenix Art Museum. Two artists are selected as award recipients by a jury assembled by Christian Ramírez, Cohn Assistant Curator of Contemporary and Community Art Initiatives at Phoenix Art Museum. The jury includes curators, artists, and other visual-arts experts from inside and outside the state of Arizona.

In addition to a $10,000 prize, Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards recipients also receive a lifetime Museum Membership and an invitation to present work in a group exhibition at Phoenix Art Museum. The 2023 Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards Exhibition, on view now through May 12, 2024, features works by emerging artists Yaritza Flores Bustos and Alejandro Macias. This exhibition is displayed in conjunction with Gabriela Muñoz & Jenea Sanchez: Empowered Fronterizx Bodies, featuring the work of 2023 Arlene and Morton Scult Artist Award recipients Jenea Sanchez and Gabriela Muñoz of Fronterizx Collective.

Call for 2024 Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards Submissions
Phoenix Art Museum will be accepting submissions for the 2024 Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards from November 1 through December 17, 2023. Applications are accepted online only and are due by 11:59 p.m. MST on December 17, 2023. The selection committee will award up to two grants of $10,000 each, and each recipient will be invited to present work in the 2024 Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards recipients’ exhibition. There is no fee to submit to the open call.

Eligibility Requirements:

Artists must be considered emerging artists to apply, meeting at least one of the following criteria: 

• Artists with at least five years of professional experience who are currently making and exhibiting new work.
• Artists whose work has been shown in Arizona but not extensively outside of the state.  
• Individuals returning to art after a hiatus. 
• Artists must have been living in Arizona for at least one year at the time of application.
• Artists working in all media, including painting, sculpture, drawing, installation, new media, performance, photography, and video, may apply.
• Submitted artwork must have been produced within the past three years.
• Artists must be registered as an Artlink Articipant. Register as an Articipant* with Artlink here.

Applicants are ineligible if they are:

• Artists who have resided in Arizona for less than one year
• Enrolled in a college-degree program at the time of application
• Individuals who engage in art making as a hobby
• Previous winners of an Emerging Artist Award from Phoenix Art Museum
• Current Phoenix Art Museum staff, board, or volunteers

Submission Requirements:
Applications must be submitted online USING THIS LINK and include:

• Artist name, mailing address, email address, and telephone number
• Artist website
• Resume/CV
• Artist statement (150 words or less)
• Six (6) images OR three (3) videos providing different examples of your work from the past three years.
  • Video work samples exceeding three minutes will not be accepted.
  • A combination of materials will be accepted, please edit accordingly for no more than a total of 3 minutes of reviewing time (2 images = 1 minute)
• Descriptions of each submitted artwork
  • Please include title, date completed, medium, and dimension

Submission Deadline:
All materials must be submitted online by 11:59 pm MST on December 17, 2023. Submit applications to this link. Please email curatorial@phxart.org with any questions.

About Phoenix Art Museum
Since 1959, Phoenix Art Museum has provided millions of guests with access to world-class art and experiences in an effort to ignite imaginations, create meaningful connections, and serve as a brave space for all people who wish to experience the transformative power of art. Located in Phoenix’s Central Corridor, the Museum is a vibrant destination for the visual arts and the largest art museum in the southwestern United States. Each year, more than 300,000 guests engage with critically acclaimed national and international exhibitions and the Museum’s collection of more than 19,000 works of American and Western American, Asian, European, Latin American, modern and contemporary art, and fashion design. The Museum also presents a comprehensive film program, live performances, and educational programs designed for visitors of all ages, along with vibrant photography exhibitions made possible through the Museum’s landmark partnership with the Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona. To learn more about Phoenix Art Museum, visit phxart.org, or call 602.257.1880.

About the Sally and Richard Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards
The Sally and Richard Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards are presented annually by Phoenix Art Museum. The artists’ grants recognition program is a continuation of a program begun by former Museum support group Contemporary Forum, which awarded more than 180 artists’ grants over more than 30 years. The Contemporary Forum Artists’ Grants concluded in 2017, at which time Phoenix Art Museum continued to subsidize an annual artists’ grants program to support the efforts and recognition of Arizona-based artists. In April 2021, the annual artists’ grants program was rebranded to acknowledge the support of local donors Sally and Richard Lehmann, who have committed to funding the Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards annually for a minimum of 10 years. Effective with the 2024 cohort of Arizona Artist Award recipients, PhxArt increased monetary support for the annual Lehmann Emerging Artists Awards from $5,000 to $10,000 per artist (two awarded), made possible through the generosity of the Cohn Fund for Arts & Culture at the Arizona Community Foundation.  

About Artlink Inc.
Artlink keeps the arts integral to the development of our city by connecting artists, business and community. Artlink supports a variety of community-based art events and initiatives, including complimentary shuttles during the monthly First Friday Art Walks, The Artist Forward Fund, Phoenix Urban Guide, and the annual Art Detour, Art d’Core Gala and Juried Exhibition. Formed as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 1989, Artlink is supported by City of Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture, Downtown Phoenix Inc., Arizona Commission on the Arts, Park Central, Marriott International, True North Studio, Valley Metro, Phoenix Convention Center, Reimagine Phoenix, and works in partnership with Roosevelt Row CDC, Phoenix Warehouse District, Central Arts District and Historic Grand Avenue. Visit artlinkphx.org.