Purpose and Goal of the Exhibition Award
The Exhibition Award was created in 1998 to honor the talent and artistic vision of our founder, Emily Hall Tremaine.
Through the competitive triennial application process, the Exhibition Award fuels Emily’s trailblazing spirit by giving life to a thematic exhibition of contemporary art that is fresh and experimental in nature.
We provide support when funding is not readily available through traditional avenues.
We also support curators in fully exploring a concept that will manifest in a new or unconventional aesthetic, or in unconventional or challenging historical, cultural, and/or social frameworks.
The Exhibition Award encourages curators to challenge conventional thought through the exploration of critical ideas.
Timeline
Application deadline: February 21, 2025, 11:59 pm ET (for both the Exhibition Award and the Exhibition Research Grant).
Awards announced in May 2025.
Awarded exhibition should not open before January 2027.
Guidelines & Eligibility
Applications are accepted on a triennial basis from any curator, or curatorial team, applying in partnership with an established non-profit exhibition space, whether a traditional gallery or museum, or an alternative non-profit venue. The curator can be on staff at the partnering exhibition space or a guest/independent curator working with the partnering space for this exhibition. The proposal should be for a strong, thematic exhibition that puts the works of contemporary art and/or architecture in a new or unconventional aesthetic, historical, cultural, and/or social framework. Applicants are encouraged to think expansively and challenge conventional thought through the exploration of critical ideas in the context of contemporary art. The award is intended to provide support for exhibitions at the beginning stage of their development and to offer the curator the support needed to fully explore a concept and realize an exhibition.
The Exhibition Award includes four components
Core Exhibition & Publication – up to $150,000
Living Artist Honorariums – up to $10,000
Enhanced Engagement Fund – up to $20,000
Post-Opening Opportunity Fund – up to $20,000
