The Ruth Foundation for the Arts unveiled the winners of the newly established Ruth Award: Kite, Candice Lin, Joe Minter, and Rose B. Simpson. This $100,000 contemporary art prize aims to recognize exceptional artists who approach their practices with continuous inquiry, imagination, and rigor, deserving greater recognition for the fullness of their work.
Unlike the Artist Choice prize, which honors organizations nominated by artists, the Ruth Award reverses roles, with a panel of twelve curators nominating artists. The curators for this year included individuals from institutions such as Harvard University, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Whitney Museum of American Art, Queens Museum, High Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, and more.
Program director Kim Nguyen commented on the impressive nominations, stating, “The inaugural awardees teach us that operating with mutual respect, trust, and care is perpetually rewarding, and that navigating the complexities of this world requires a dedication to making, being in relation with one another, and endless imagination.”
Kite, an Oglála Lakȟóta artist, Candice Lin, a multidisciplinary artist exploring colonization consequences, Joe Minter, a sculptor focusing on family ancestry through discarded materials, and Rose B. Simpson, whose practice spans various mediums examining postmodern and postcolonial impacts, were among the honored recipients.
Ruth Foundation executive director Karen Patterson expressed pride in supporting artists who, through their rigorous practices, contribute significantly to revealing the diverse aspects of humanity across time.
