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THE 2025 CHICAGO SCULPTURE EXHIBIT RICHARD HUNT AWARD APPLICATION IS NOW OPEN!

What is the Richard Hunt Award?

CSE is thrilled to renew the CSE Richard Hunt Award. In recognition of the internationally-heralded artist and Chicago native Richard Hunt, CSE continues to bring new perspectives and diversity to the public art world by offering financial support to emerging or mid-career Chicagoland sculptors for a new artwork sited at a prominent location in the city. The award is part of CSE’s mission to encourage a broader range of artists to design and fabricate large-scale public sculpture.  

The financial provision for the production of the work is $10,000, 80% provided for the planning and/or creation of the artist’s work and 20% dispersed upon installation. The selected artist must transport their sculpture to and from the site, but CSE will assist with on-site installation and costs of physically mounting the work. The sculpture will remain on display for two years and must be able to withstand Chicago’s climate for that period. The work will be returned to the artist as the sole owner after 24 months. CSE will make every effort to provide additional mentoring and assistance as requested.  

The award money may be used for production and installation of the sculpture, i.e. materials, studio rent, artist’s time. CSE will also provide professional documentation of the work upon installation, to be shared with the artist. 

Project Timeline

September 27, 2024 at 5:00 p.m.: Applications are due by 5 pm CST on Friday, September 27. Please submit an application through this form: CSE Richard Hunt Award Application

Early to Mid-October 2024: Jury selection of winner, with notification shortly thereafter. 

November 15, 2024: Final drawings/plans due to CSE for review. 

May 30, 2025: Installation of the work must be completed by this date and will be planned in coordination with CSE staff and contractors. 

Application Requirements

Chicagoland artists, aged 18+ must submit the following within the application link:

● Artist statement and bio (200 words or less)

● Sample images 

● Artist proposal for new work for installation (350 words) 

● Proposed project budget (may include studio rent, labor, materials, etc.) 

The Jury

Select curators from Chicago’s art community will comprise the Jury for the 2024/2025 CSE Richard Hunt Award including Daniel Schulman, Executive Director of Jewish Museum Milwaukee and former Program Director of Visual Art at Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, Dr. Anita Blanchard, Board Member, Richard Hunt Legacy Foundation, and Tricia van Eck, Founder and Artistic Director of 6018 North and former Associate Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.  

 

The Richard Hunt Legacy Foundation

CSE is excited to partner with The Richard Hunt Legacy Foundation to continue the CSE Richard Hunt Award in future years. As an artist and prominent American sculptor, Richard Hunt considered artistic freedom to be the most important aspect of his career, “I am interested more than anything else in being a free person. To me, that means that I can make what I want to make, regardless of what anyone else thinks I should make.” 

The Richard Hunt Legacy Foundation advances public awareness, education, and appreciation of the life and art of American sculptor Richard Hunt. ​The Foundation was incorporated in the state of Illinois in 2023 to become a 501(c)(3) nonprofit at the direction of its founder, Richard Hunt. The Richard Hunt Legacy Foundation’s vision is to ensure that future generations fully appreciate his life and art by encouraging, inspiring, facilitating, educating, and supporting the public’s understanding of his work and his place in American and art history. In addition, the foundation aims to support the next generation of sculptors and artists.

About Richard Hunt

Born on the South Side of Chicago, Richard Hunt (1935-2023) was one of the most important sculptors this nation has produced. His distinguished art career spanned seven decades. At the age of 35, Hunt became the first African American sculptor to have a retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in 1971. Hunt held over 160 solo exhibitions and is represented in more than 100 public museums across the globe. Hunt was a prolific public sculptor and made the largest contribution to public art in the United States, with more than 160 public sculpture commissions gracing prominent locations in 24 states and Washington, D.C. Hunt was a central figure in Civil Rights-era action and commemorated many African American icons in his public works, such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Emmett Till, John Jones, and Mary McLeod Bethune. His body of work explores themes of the African diaspora, African and Western art, mythology, and Hunt’s own ancestry, especially in relation to growth, expansion, freedom, movement, and flight.

Questions? Contact chicagosculptureexhibit@gmail.com

CLICK HERE TO APPLY ONLINE