Two fine arts faculty win prestigious 2017 Foster Prize from the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston

Sonia Almeida and Lucy Kim

Brandeis Fine Arts lecturers Sonia Almeida and Lucy Kim have been named winners of the 2017 James and Audrey Foster Prize from the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston.

First established in 1999, the Foster Prize - formerly the ICA Artist Prize - is a biennial exhibition that recognizes artists of exceptional promise from Greater Boston.

Kim and Almeida are among four winners of the 2017 prize who will each present a major work, or group of works, on view for the first time in Boston from February 15 to July 9, 2017 in the Demoulas and Buttenwieser Galleries at the ICA.

This year, the prize also features “Foster Talks,” a new speaking program. Once a month over the course of the exhibitions, each artist will present their work and invite a writer, artist, performer, researcher, or other cultural producer who has influenced their artwork, or whose own work resonates with the artist’s for a conversation in the exhibition galleries.

“I am honored to receive the Foster Prize in conjunction with a great group of artists and thrilled to be showing work closer to home,” Almeida said. “The show will take advantage of a generous amount of space, enabling a wide selection of new and older work never seen in Boston. I am also excited about the addition of the Foster Talks, a platform that will connect each artist with a figure relevant to their work.” 

It is the second time Kim has been recognized with the honor. She was part of a group of artists that won the prize in 2015.

“It is such an honor to be one of the recipients of the 2017 Foster Prize, and to have the opportunity to exhibit my work alongside a stellar roster of artists at the ICA next year. It is daunting and exhilarating,” Kim said. “The Foster family has a long history of supporting the arts in Boston and at a time when the Boston arts community is constantly fighting for any kind of resource, it's a good time to think about the people who are directly supporting Boston's artists and institutions.”

Art by Sonia Almeida and Lucy Kim

Left: Sonia Almeida, "cupping the hand behind the ear", 2016. Oil on marine plywood and aluminum structure. Size: 64 x 132 inches. Credit: Simone Subal Gallery, NYC. Right: Lucy Kim, "Duck Duck Goose (Looking Glass, Looking Blue)," 2015. Urethane resin, paint, fiberglass, urethane glue, and aluminum framing. Three parts, each 56 x 27 inches (137.2 x 68.6 cm). Courtesy the artist and Lisa Cooley, New York. © 2016 Lucy Kim

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