Phoenix Art Museum announces call for submissions by Arizona-based artists for 2023 Sally and Richard Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards

Jan, 23, 2023

Exhibitions and Special Installations

Phoenix Art Museum announces call for submissions by Arizona-based artists for 2023 Sally and Richard Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards

PhxArt collaborates with Artlink on call; grant recipients will be notified in April 2023 with work exhibited in summer 2023

PHOENIX (January 23, 2023) – Phoenix Art Museum has opened the annual call for submission for the institution’s Sally and Richard Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards artists’ grants program. The juried grant program provides recognition and financial support for emerging, professional, Arizona-based artists. For the 2023 Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards open call, Phoenix Art Museum is collaborating with Artlink, a Phoenix-based arts organization, who will host and help promote the call for artwork submissions. The call is open from January 20 – March 10, 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 April 21, 2023, with each receiving a $2,500 grant and the opportunity to participate in a group exhibition at Phoenix Art Museum in summer 2023.

The 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.

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, assistant curator of contemporary art at Phoenix Art Museum, featuring curators from inside and outside the state of Arizona. The jury may also include internationally established artists and other visual-art experts. Past jurors have included Tiffany Fairall, chief curator at Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum, and Julio César Morales, senior curator at ASU Art Museum and 2018 Morton Scult Artist Award recipient. The 2023 Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards recipients will receive $2,500 to support their work and will be invited to present in a group exhibition alongside the Museum’s 2023 Arlene and Morton Scult Artist Award recipient, who is nominated by invitation and selected by a jury. The 2021 Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards Exhibition, on view now through May 14, 2023, features works by emerging artists Gloria Martinez-Granados, Chris Vena, and Merryn Omotayo Alaka and Sam Frésquez. This exhibition is displayed in conjunction with Sama Alshaibi: Generation After Generation, featuring the work of 2021 Scult Award recipient, Sama Alshaibi.

Call for 2023 Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards Submissions
Phoenix Art Museum will be accepting submissions for the 2023 Lehmann Emerging Artist Awards from January 20 through March 10, 2023. Applications are accepted online only and are due on March 10, 2023. A panel of judges, who will be announced to the public on June 30, 2023, will select the recipients. The selection committee will award up to two grants of $2,500 each, and each recipient will be invited to present work in the 2023 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 the Emerging Artist Award
• Current Phoenix Art Museum staff, board, or volunteers

Submission Requirements:
Applications must be submitted online USING THE FOLLOWING LINK: bit.ly/LehmannEmergingArtistAwards and include:

• Artist name, mailing address, email address, and telephone number
• Resume/CV
• Artist statement (optional; 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)
• Work sample descriptions of each submitted artwork
  • Please include title, date completed, medium, and dimension

Submission Deadline:
All materials must be submitted online by midnight Pacific Standard Time on March 10, 2023. Submit applications to the following link: bit.ly/LehmannEmergingArtistAwards. 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 20,000 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 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.