Inviting Applications for the 2021
Judy Chicago Art Education Award
Funded by MaryRoss Taylor

“I have devoted my life to trying to end the ongoing erasure of women’s achievements through my art;
I have left a path in my archives which is why they provide a way to BUILD on our history rather than repeat it.”
Judy Chicago

The Judy Chicago Art Education Award funded by MaryRoss Taylor and established in 2011 by Through the Flower honors Judy Chicago and her pioneering work as an art educator. The award is open to scholars, artists, and educators for a project based on primary research incorporating any of the archives that are collaborating in the development of the Judy Chicago Research Portal, which was launched in October 2019. These archives include:

• Penn State University Libraries, Eberly Family Special Collections Library, which houses the Judy Chicago Art Education Collection and The Dinner Party Curriculum Project.
• The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA), Betty Boyd Dettre Library and Research Center, home of the Judy Chicago Visual Archive.
• Harvard University’s Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America which includes letters, papers, and recordings of congressional hearings about The Dinner Party.

The annual award includes a certificate and a $2,500 prize. 
The award ceremony will be held in Belen, New Mexico at the Through the Flower Art Space.

Application deadline is June 1, 2021.

In the spirit of Judy Chicago’s collaborative and participatory approach to making and teaching art, the institutions — which include a public university library, a private university library, and a national museum — have joined together in a rare collaboration to link their collections in efforts to providing scholars with a robust and accessible research experience. The Judy Chicago Research Portal highlights the impact of Judy’s work and feminist practice via art and art education for which she is celebrated and seen as a forerunner. The Judy Chicago Art Education Award celebrates this collaboration and encourages engagement with the collections as living archives that build upon continued scholarship and teaching to preserve feminist histories and feminist pedagogy.

Through the Flower is proud of our legacy in sponsoring and supporting projects showing the importance of art and its role in countering the erasure of women’s achievements in history. And another crucial part of this legacy is the power of art to inspire such action that has far-reaching impact.

Past Awardees’ projects are available via the Judy Chicago Art Education online archive of award-winning projects. The Judy Chicago Art Education Award funded by MaryRoss Taylor is made possible by Through the Flower and is administered by Through the Flower and Penn State University Libraries with support from the Penn State School of Visual Arts.

Please submit the following materials in a single Word document: 

__Project Abstract (no more than 500 words) that includes:  

• The specific archive(s) and materials used from the archive(s) and how they inform the project
• A description of the proposed or completed project including the theories or concepts central to the project and the potential significance or impact of the project
• A description of the completed or planned public element

__Reference List that includes:

• The particular materials from archive collections used or to be used to complete the project
• Any additional study materials used in researching or carrying out the project

Additional materials such as images, video, or other supplemental items may be submitted. Image files must be in jpeg format, 640 x 480 pixels. Files larger than 10 MB may be sent to info@throughtheflower.org via WeTransfer.com

The three participating institutions provide separate applications for internships, research, and travel grants, which could be used to explore the Judy Chicago collections. More information can be found at NMWA internships, Schlesinger travel grants, and Penn State travel grants. Award submission will be accepted online only until midnight on 6/1/21. Details are available at Judy Chicago Art Education Award.