The Dallas Museum of Art is pleased to announce its 2026 Awards to Artists recipients. Selected from a pool of 160 applicants—the largest in Awards to Artists history—21 artists ages 16 to 55, received awards. The awards were funded by the Clare Hart DeGolyer Memorial Fund, the Arch and Anne Giles Kimbrough Fund and the Otis and Velma Davis Dozier Travel Grant.

All 2026 recipients are current Texas residents, including 16 based in the Dallas–Fort Worth area. Through these three funds, the DMA awarded nearly $42,000 to both emerging and established artists. Since its establishment in 1980, Awards to Artists has given over $1 million in awards. Dr. Valerie Bennett Gillespie, arts educator and Founder and Principal of Pencil on Paper Gallery, served as guest juror.

“Nearly double the amount seen in recent years, this unprecedented number of applicants underscores the abundance of talent burgeoning from the Southwest,” said Ade Omotosho, The Nancy and Tim Hanley Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art. “As the Awards to Artists program continues to expand, we look forward to devoting more resources to the living artists that help our region flourish with creativity and vitality.”

The DeGolyer and Kimbrough funds will provide support for the development of new, ambitious bodies of work through supplies, research materials and dedicated studio spaces. Projects and activities include research at the ONE Archives at the USC Libraries, the world’s largest LGBTQ+ archive, to reflect on the consequences of the AIDS crisis; hosting accessible community art classes; the exploration of alternative photographic processes rooted in biochemistry; and portfolio development in pursuit of higher education.

The Otis and Velma Davis Dozier Travel Grant will fund travel to U.S. cities marked by environmental injustice for a photographic series exploring the harmony between Black life and the natural world; to Japan to study “shokuhin sampuru,” hyper realistic artisanal food replicas, in support of a sculptural practice investigating how fake foods function as stand-ins for the body, identity and universal desire; and to the U.S.-Mexico border, where the artist will study immigration processes and conditions as the foundation for a new body of work.

2026 Clare Hart DeGolyer Memorial Fund Award recipients:
Bao Nghi Ngo
Tommy Lee Stidham
Fathima Farha
Sarah Gutierrez
Marcy Davis
Felipe Tascon
Edith Juanah
Jennifer Godinez
Zoe Fanning
Tyson Shepherd

 

2026 Arch and Anne Giles Kimbrough Fund Award recipients:
Saj Baldwin
Phoebe Heng
Cree Agent
Israel Covarrubias
Jennifer Ramos
Karla Ramirez-Santin
Javier Robelo
Crystal Coulter

 

2026 Otis and Velma Davis Dozier Travel Grant recipients:
Veronica Ibargüengoitia Tena
Nitashia Johnson
Tamara Johnson

“Being a part of this year’s jury was a true reminder of the incredible talent that comes from Texas, particularly in Dallas-Fort Worth,” said guest juror Dr. Valerie Bennett Gillespie. “The process was refreshing and genuinely difficult as there were so many ambitious and thoughtful practices to consider. The selected artists represent a group that I am truly thrilled about, and one that speaks to the future of contemporary art in our region!”

The DMA will host an awardee celebration on Tuesday, May 19, from 6 to 8 p.m. Remarks and a brief presentation will be delivered in the Horchow Auditorium followed by a reception in the Hamon Atrium. This event is free and open to the public.