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John Dorsey Prize for Outstanding Curatorial Practice

As the leading art critic for The Baltimore Sun and a well-known area curator, John Dorsey’s incisive critical perspective and passion for visual arts provided immeasurable contributions to the contemporary art community. This prize rewards students in the Departments of Studio Art, Immersive Media Design, and Art History who excel in critical thinking skills and curatorial practice.

THE PRIZE 

The John Dorsey Prize amount is $5000, from which the winner distributes honoraria and operating expenses. The recommended division of the award is $2500 to the prize winner, or co-winners in the case of collaboration, and $2500 divided equally among the exhibiting artists in the form of honoraria. Alternative distribution plans should be approved by the Department Chair. Participating artists must provide transportation for their own works to and from the exhibition. The Department of Art will provide up to an additional $750 towards gallery preparation, advertising, and the opening reception.

The award jurors, comprised of faculty from Studio Art, Immersive Media Design (track 2) and Art History, will select a single exhibition proposal submitted for this competition. Applications are due on Monday, May 20, 2024. The winner will be announced approximately two weeks later, and the exhibition will open the Fall season in the Herman Maril Gallery in the Art/Sociology Building in September 2024. The exact dates of the exhibition and opening reception will be announced at a later date.

ELIGIBILITY

Applicants must be full-time graduate or undergraduate Studio Art, Immersive Media Design (BA Track 2), or Art History majors at the University of Maryland, College Park during both the application and exhibition semesters. Undergraduate applicants must be of at least junior standing. Graduate students must be students in the MFA in the Department of Art or MA or PhD programs in the Department of Art History and Archaeology.

 

HOW TO APPLY

Applicants must submit the following in a single PDF attached to an email addressed to the the Department Chair (bmorse1@umd.edu) - subject line “Dorsey Prize Application 2024”:

 

  1. Complete John Dorsey Prize Application

(See below)

 

  1. Letter of Proposal

Prepare a 1-2 page letter of proposal. Your signed letter should include:

  1. Information on your curatorial concept and the names of artists to be exhibited.  Include a proposed title and examples of the works to be included in the show, including the CV(s) of the artist(s). If the proposed artists have not created the work for the show, please show characteristic examples.
  2. Description of any additional related events (e.g., moderated panel or invited speaker lecture) that will occur with your proposed exhibit.
  3. Detailed timeline that includes activity and expenditure dates.
  4. Description of your previous curatorial experience (if applicable).
  5. Plan for design and preparation of your promotional materials.

 

  1. Budget Sheet

Prepare a budget, detailing how the allotted $5,000 prize will be used. The budget is intended to “provide a cash prize for the selected recipient, as well as stipends for artists who present work in the exhibit.” The budget template divides the funds equally between the curator and the artists, however the applicant may choose to reduce their portion and expand the honoraria to the artists. The Department will allocate a separate $750 for advertising and reception expenses. See application for budget template. Budget Sheet must specify honoraria recipients and amount awarded to each recipient. Payment of honoraria will be coordinated with the Department of Art Business Office upon installation of exhibition.

 

  1. Digital Imagery and List of Images

Images in the proposal should be labeled with: Artist’s name; date of completion; medium; and dimensions. Brief descriptions of each piece may be included if the applicant wishes.

 

5.  Faculty Advisor

While the Department of Art Chair will serve generally as an advisor for the project, applicants should identify an Art, IMD, or Art History faculty member (depending on your academic home) that agrees to serve as your project advisor.  


Application packages must be received in the Chair by 4 p.m. on Monday, May 20, 2024.

 

Application can be downloaded here (PDF)