Calling All Budding African-American Artists: Apply Online for the 2009 William H. Johnson Prize

In honor of the late painter, the William H. Johnson Foundation for the Arts is seeking pioneering young artists working in one or more of the following mediums: painting, photography, sculpture, printmaking, installation and/or new genre.

In 1926, William H. Johnson was acknowledged as the most talented artist in his class at New York’s National Academy of Design; however, he was passed over for a traveling scholarship most likely because of his race. Rather than see Johnson flounder in the United States, his teacher at that time, Charles Hawthorne, gifted Johnson $1,000 so that he could travel to Europe and escape the prejudices of the American art scene.

In the spirit of this remarkable act of generosity, the William H. Johnson Foundation seeks to award the most deserving of African-American artists early in their careers with the substantial amount of $25,000, in the hopes that this gift will have the same pivotal effect on a burgeoning artist today as it did on the young Johnson.

Past Johnson Prize Winners include Laylah Ali (2002); Nadine Robinson (2003); Kori Newkirk (2004); Dave McKenzie (2005); Edgar Arceneaux (2006); Rodney McMillian (2007); and Jennie C. Jones (2008). Their winning submissions can be viewed on the Foundation Web site.

To apply, simply fill out the application form on the Foundation Web site, follow the requirements for image files, and then upload 12 images or submit a DVD to the Foundation’s Los Angeles office, along with two letters of recommendation. There is no application fee, only a deadline; all entries must be submitted by 3 pm on Friday July 31, 2009.