Somehow this escaped everyone’s notice: MacDowell Colony* has named Kiki Smith as the recipient of the 50th Edward MacDowell Medal — which she’ll receive on Aug. 9.
MacDowell is the oldest U.S. artists’ residency program, with beautiful grounds near Peterborough, N.H., which was the model for Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town.” It rotates the annual medal among disciplines — last year was the turn for achitecture, and the medal went to Thom Mayne.
Among the previous visual arts winners are Alexander Calder, Edward Hopper, Louise Nevelson, Ellsworth Kelly and Louise Bourgeois. This year’s selection committee was headed by Joan Simon, a curator at the Whitney Museum. The panel cited Smith as a “leading figure among artists addressing the philosophical, social and spiritual aspects of human nature.”
The press release is here.
A long time ago, I wrote about creativity at artists’ colonies for the New York Times. Here’s the link.
* Disclosure: As a consultant, I have helped direct money to MacDowell, but have no influence on the choice of the MacDowell Medalist.