BRIC's New $100,000 Prize Champions Under-Recognized Artists

BRIC, a leading educator, incubator and presenter of arts and cultural programming in Brooklyn, is pleased to announce the inaugural Colene Brown Art Prize, an unrestricted $100,000 grant that will be awarded in amounts of $10,000 each to ten under-recognized New York-based visual artists. The recipients will be announced on October 1, 2019 and celebrated at BRIC's annual gala on November 7, 2019. The Colene Brown Art Prize is underwritten by artist and BRIC Board Member Deborah Brown in memory of her late mother, Colene Brown, and is funded through the Harold and Colene Brown Family Foundation.

"BRIC is grateful for the tireless support of Deborah Brown, a board member who reflects our ethos and understands firsthand the challenges facing contemporary artists," said BRIC President Kristina Newman-Scott. "Her generosity will help support a diverse community of artists at key moments in their careers."

To facilitate the award, ten leading New York City-based curators, critics, and artists have each nominated five artists of exceptional merit that have yet to receive substantial institutional support. Eligible artists for consideration could be at any stage of their career. A selection committee within BRIC will choose the final ten recipients of the award.

"I am privileged to be on the board of BRIC and partner with this great institution to create and administer the Colene Brown Art Prize. With the awards, I hope to aid an outstanding group of artists in the pursuit of their dreams and at the same time recognize the role of not-for-profit cultural institutions like BRIC that make a transformational difference in their communities." -Deborah Brown.

Created in 1981, BRIC's multi-faceted contemporary art program presents rigorously curated exhibitions and programs focusing on emerging and mid-career artists whose work captures a rich cross-section of ideas, voices, and artistic media that reflect Brooklyn's diversity. Adding to its already robust contemporary art offerings, which includes residency programs, critically-acclaimed biennial exhibitions, an online registry, and youth education initiatives, the Colene Brown Art Prize is a major underscore in the organization's commitment to the artistic community of New York.