NEW YORK, March 20, 2025 – The American Academy of Arts and Letters announces the eight recipients of its 2025 Art Awards. The 300 members of Arts and Letters nominate candidates for awards, and a committee of artists selects the winners. This year, the art awards committee members were Matthew Barney, Simone Leigh, Joel Shapiro, and Arlene Shechet.
Each year, the awards committee selects five artists to receive Arts and Letters Awards of $10,000 each to honor and encourage creative work. The 2025 recipients are: Judy Baca, Dawoud Bey, Laverne Brackens, Okwui Okpokwasili, and Martine Syms.
The Jacob Lawrence Award of $10,000 for achievement in the visual arts goes to Diamond Stingily. The Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Award of $10,000 for achievement in the visual arts goes to Jessi Reaves. The Rosenthal Family Foundation Award of $10,000, awarded to a young painter of distinction, goes to Peter Shear.
The art awards will be presented alongside the architecture, literature, and music awards at Arts and Letters’s annual Ceremonial in May.
A list of the 2025 art award recipients follows.
Arts and Letters
The American Academy of Arts and Letters is an honor society of artists, architects, composers, and writers who foster and sustain interest in the arts. Our 300 members distribute over 70 awards annually; fund concerts and new works of musical theater; purchase and commission contemporary art for donation to museums across the country; and present exhibitions, talks, and events for the public at our historic buildings in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City.
Media Inquiries:
Jenny Jaskey
(212) 368-5900
jjaskey@artsandletters.org
2025 Art Award Recipients List:
Arts and Letters Award
Judy Baca
Dawoud Bey
Laverne Brackens
Okwui Okpokwasili
Martine Syms
Jacob Lawrence Award
Diamond Stingily
Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Award
Jessi Reaves
Rosenthal Family Foundation Award for Painting
Peter Shear
For prior news announcements please write to info@artsandletters.org.