THE ARTHOUSE BLOG

In the last 5 years, the financial eco-system of the art world has been slowly evolving. There was a brief phenomenon of art producers, then came hedge funds, and now re-configured non-profit players have become more and more creative about the way diverse economies can support and cultivate both growing numbers of contemporary institutions as well as the people within and around them. Creative Link – a non-profit that specializes in strategic partnerships between institutions, non-profits, corporations and philanthropists – claims to be on the cutting edge. It is a foundation, and it is not. Nevertheless, the Ordway Prize – featuring one honor for curatorial merit and one for artistic achievement – has enjoyed a steady rise to prominence.

Arthouse Congratulates Hamza Walker, Director of Education and Associate Curator for the Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago, and curator of New American Talent: The Twenty-Fourth Exhibition at Arthouse in 2009. One of two recipients of this $100,000 cash prize, Walker’s energy and achievements speak for themselves.

ABOUT THE PRIZE

Named after noted art collector/philanthropist and Nature Conservancy Founder, Katherine Ordway, the Ordway Prize recognizes individuals in mid-career who have made important contributions to the field of contemporary arts and contemporary arts criticism/curatorial practice. The winners, one in each category, will each receive a $100,000 unrestricted cash award. Creative-Link will continue to run the jury process, but the prizes will be awarded in a celebratory luncheon and press launch in the New Museum’s renowned building on the Bowery.