Vilcek Foundation
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The Vilcek Foundation is an American nonprofit organization.[2] The foundation's programs include the Vilcek Foundation Prizes.
 | |
| Founded | 2000 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Jan and Marica Vilcek |
| Type | Private Nonprofit Foundation |
| Focus | Arts, biomedical science, immigration |
| Location | |
Key people | Jan Vilcek (Co-founder), Marica Vilcek (Co-founder), Rick Kinsel (President) |
| Revenue | $19,837,752[1] (2014) |
| Expenses | $4,822,527[1] (2014) |
| Website | www.vilcek.org |
The Foundation was established in 2000 by Jan and Marica Vilcek, immigrants from the former Czechoslovakia.[3] The mission of the Foundation was inspired by the couple's respective careers in biomedical science and art history, as well as their appreciation for the opportunities offered to them as newcomers to the United States.[4]
Prizes
Summarize
Perspective
Vilcek Prizes
The Vilcek Prizes are awarded to foreign-born permanent residents of the United States, with significant accomplishments in the arts and sciences. The Foundation awards two Vilcek Prizes annually, one in biomedical science and the other in the arts and humanities. Each prize consists of a $100,000 cash award and a commemorative sculpture designed by Austrian-born graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister.[5]
Vilcek Prize for Excellence
The Vilcek Prize for Excellence, introduced in 2019, recognizes immigrants who have profoundly impacted American society and world culture or individuals who champion immigrant causes. The recipients receive a $100,000 cash award and a commemorative diploma designed by the &Walsh agency.[6]
Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise
The Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise are awarded to foreign-born individuals who have demonstrated outstanding achievement during the early stages of their careers. The Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise are awarded each year in the field of biomedical science and a selected art field. Creative Promise applicants are required to submit essays, personal statements, and examples of their work. To be eligible for the prize, applicants must have been born abroad, reside permanently in the United States, and be within the specified age limit. As of 2013, three prizes each were to be awarded in biomedical science[7] and a designated art field.[8] Each recipient is awarded a $50,000 cash prize and a commemorative plaque.
Marica Vilcek Prize in Art History
In 2024, the Vilcek Foundation announced a new prize, The Marica Vilcek Prize in Art History. The prize is named for the Foundation's co-founder Marica Vilcek's career in art history. The prize is awarded to foreign-born art history and museum professionals whose work has had a profound impact on their institutions, and on their field or area of scholarship and curatorial work more broadly. In its inaugural presentation in 2024, three prizes of $100,000 each were awarded to Monika Bincsik, Pierre Terjanian, and Wolfram Koeppe.[9]
The Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise in Curatorial Work recognize immigrant professionals whose work has a profound impact in their field, and on arts and culture more broadly.[10]
Vilcek-Gold Award for Humanism in Healthcare
In 2019, the Vilcek Foundation partnered with the Arnold P. Gold Foundation to create a joint award, the Vilcek-Gold Award for Humanism in Healthcare. The award is given to a foreign-born individual in the United States who has demonstrated an extraordinary impact on humanism in healthcare through their professional achievements.
The 2019 Vilcek-Gold Award for Humanism in Healthcare was given to Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha for her advocacy and interventions in addressing the water crisis in Flint, Michigan.[11] Dr. Vivek Murthy, 19th and 21st Surgeon General of the United States, was the recipient of the 2020 Vilcek-Gold Award for Humanism in Healthcare. Dr. Jirayut 'New' Latthivongskorn and Dr. Denisse Rojas Marquez were the joint recipients of the 2021 Vilcek-Gold Award for Humanism in Healthcare.[12]
New American Perspectives
Since 2007, the Vilcek Foundation has been a sponsor of the New American Perspectives (formerly the "New American Filmmakers") program at the Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF). Curated and presented in collaboration with HIFF, the program celebrates foreign-born filmmakers' contributions to cinema in the United States.[13]
Prize recipients
Vilcek Prizes
Vilcek Prizes for Excellence
| Name | Year | Category | Country of Birth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr.[54] | 2025 | Literary Scholarship | United States |
| Katalin Karikó[55] | 2022 | Biotechnology | Hungary |
| Andrew Yang | 2021 | Public Service | United States |
| Robert A. Katzmann | 2020 | Administration of Justice | United States |
| Carmen C. Bambach[56] |
2019 | Art History and Museum Work | Chile |
Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise
| Name | Year | Category | Country of Birth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elham Azizi | 2025 | Biomedical Science | Iran |
| Guosong Hong | 2025 | Biomedical Science | China |
| Maayan Levy | 2025 | Biomedical Science | Israel |
| Selva Aparicio | 2025 | Visual Artist | Spain |
| Felipe Baeza | 2025 | Visual Artist | Mexico |
| Jeffrey Meris | 2025 | Visual Artist | Haiti, raised in the Bahamas |
| Donna Honarpisheh | 2025 | Curatorial Work | Canada to Iranian parents |
| Aimé Iglesias Lukin | 2025 | Curatorial Work | Argentina |
| Bernardo Mosqueira | 2025 | Curatorial Work | Brazil |
| Gerta Hoxhaj[57] | 2024 | Biomedical Science | Albania |
| Tomasz Nowakowski[14] | 2024 | Biomedical Science | Poland |
| Takanori Takebe[58] | 2024 | Biomedical Science | Japan |
| Wael Morcos[59] | 2024 | Design | Lebanon |
| Juan Carlos Noguera[60] | 2024 | Design | Guatemala |
| Maryam Turkey[61] | 2024 | Design | Iraq |
| Edward Chouchani[62] | 2023 | Biomedical Science | Canada |
| Biyu J. He[63] | 2023 | Biomedical Science | China |
| Shixin Liu[64] | 2023 | Biomedical Science | China |
| Arooj Aftab[65] | 2023 | Music | Saudi Arabia (to Pakistani parents) |
| Juan Pablo Contreras[66] | 2023 | Music | Canada |
| Ruby Ibarra[67] | 2023 | Music | Philippines |
| Markita del Carpio Landry[68] | 2022 | Biomedical Science | Canada |
| Hani Goodarzi[69] | 2022 | Biomedical Science | Iran |
| Harris Wang[70] | 2022 | Biomedical Science | China |
| Tatiana Desardouin[71] | 2022 | Dance | Switzerland |
| Tamisha Guy[72] | 2022 | Dance | Trinidad |
| Leonardo Sandoval[73] | 2022 | Dance | Brazil |
| Juan Pablo González[74] | 2021 | Filmmaking | Mexico |
| Miko Revereza[75] | 2021 | Filmmaking | Philippines |
| Nanfu Wang[27] | 2021 | Filmmaking | China |
| Mohamed Abou Donia[76] | 2021 | Biomedical Science[28] | Egypt |
| Ibrahim Cissé[77] | 2021 | Biomedical Science | Niger |
| Silvi Rouskin[78] | 2021 | Biomedical Science | Bulgaria |
| Kivanç Birsoy[79] | 2020 | Biomedical Science | Turkey |
| Viviana Gradinaru[80] | 2020 | Biomedical Science | Romania |
| Martin Jonikas[81] | 2020 | Biomedical Science | France |
| Yaa Gyasi[82] | 2020 | Literature | Ghana |
| Valeria Luiselli[83] | 2020 | Literature | Mexico |
| Jenny Xie[84] | 2020 | Literature | China |
| Amit Choudhary | 2019 | Biomedical Science | India |
| Jeanne T. Paz | 2019 | Biomedical Science | Georgia |
| Mikhail G. Shapiro | 2019 | Biomedical Science | Russia |
| Tejal Rao | 2019 | Culinary Arts | United Kingdom |
| Fabian von Hauske Valtierra | 2019 | Culinary Arts | Mexico |
| Nite Yun | 2019 | Culinary Arts | Cambodia |
| Polina Anikeeva | 2018 | Biomedical Science | Russia |
| Sergiu P. Pașca | 2018 | Biomedical Science | Romania |
| Feng Zhang | 2018 | Biomedical Science | China |
| Mona Ghandi | 2018 | Architecture | Iran |
| James Leng | 2018 | Architecture | China |
| Jing Liu | 2018 | Architecture | China |
| Michaela Gack | 2017 | Biomedical Science | Germany |
| Michael Halassa | 2017 | Biomedical Science | Jordan |
| Ahmet Yildiz | 2017 | Biomedical Science | Turkey |
| Iman Issa | 2017 | Fine Arts | Egypt |
| Meleko Mokgosi | 2017 | Fine Arts | Botswana |
| Carlos Motta | 2017 | Fine Arts | Colombia |
| Fernando Camargo | 2016 | Biomedical Science | Peru |
| Roberta Capp | 2016 | Biomedical Science | Brazil |
| Houra Merrikh | 2016 | Biomedical Science | Iran |
| Sarah Benson | 2016 | Theatre | United Kingdom |
| Desdemona Chiang | 2016 | Theatre | Taiwan |
| Yi Zhao | 2016 | Theatre | China |
| Sun Hur | 2015 | Biomedical Science | South Korea |
| Rob Knight | 2015 | Biomedical Science | New Zealand |
| Franziska Michor | 2015 | Biomedical Science | Austria |
| Siki Im | 2015 | Fashion | Germany, to Korean parents |
| Natallia Pilipenka | 2015 | Fashion | Belarus, to Ukrainian parents |
| Tuyen Tran | 2015 | Fashion | Vietnam |
| Antonio Giraldez | 2014 | Biomedical Science | Spain |
| Stavros Lomvardas | 2014 | Biomedical Science | Greece |
| Pardis Sabeti | 2014 | Biomedical Science | Iran |
| Yasaman Hashemian | 2014 | Design | Iran |
| Mansour Ourasanah | 2014 | Design | Togo |
| Quilian Riano | 2014 | Design | Colombia |
| Hashim Al-Hashimi | 2013 | Biomedical Science | Lebanon |
| Michael Rape | 2013 | Biomedical Science | Germany |
| Joanna Wysocka | 2013 | Biomedical Science | Poland |
| James Abrahart[43] | 2013 | Contemporary Music | United Kingdom |
| Samuel Bazawule[43] | 2013 | Contemporary Music | Ghana |
| Tigran Hamasyan[43] | 2013 | Contemporary Music | Armenia |
| Alice Ting[85] | 2012 | Biomedical Science | Taiwan |
| Michel Kouakou[44] | 2012 | Dance | Ivory Coast |
| Yibin Kang[86] | 2011 | Biomedical Science | China |
| Dinaw Mengestu[87] | 2011 | Literature | Ethiopia |
| Harmit Malik[88] | 2010 | Biomedical Science | India |
| Varin Keokitvon[89] | 2010 | Culinary Arts | Laos |
| Howard Chang | 2009 | Biomedical Science | Taiwan |
| Ham Tran[90] | 2009 | Filmmaking | Vietnam |
[67] In 2013, the Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise were changed from recognizing one winner and four finalists to recognizing three winners in each category. The past finalists are listed below.
Marica Vilcek Prize in Art History
| Name | Year | Citation | Country of Birth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Francesca Du Brock | 2025 | "Francesca Du Brock, chief curator of the Anchorage Museum of Art, is named winner of the 2025 Marica Vilcek Prize in Art History for her holistic and comprehensive approach to exhibition curation. An artist and educator, Du Brock’s work embodies the spirit of collaboration and inclusivity, emphasizing the importance of diverse perspectives in museum spaces." | United States |
| Monika Bincsik[91] | 2024 | "Monika Bincsik receives the Marica Vilcek Prize in Art History for her curatorial approach to Japanese decorative arts and textiles that highlights the interplay of Japanese and international trade, politics, and society on material culture over the past five centuries." | Hungary |
| Wolfram Koeppe[92] | 2024 | "Wolfram Koeppe receives the Marica Vilcek Award in Art History for his contributions to the study and curation of European decorative arts objects, and for his work to develop exhibitions and displays that engage and inspire audiences of all ages." | Germany |
| Pierre Terjanian[93] | 2024 | "Pierre Terjanian receives the Marica Vilcek Prize in Art History for his work to foster community, dialogue, and understanding through his leadership with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and for his thoughtful scholarship on objects of arms and armor." | France |
Vilcek-Gold Award for Humanism in Healthcare
| Name | Year | Citation | Country of Birth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mona Fouad[94] | 2022 | "For her leadership in health disparities research, and her career-long commitment to equity in healthcare. Fouad's work has been foundational in the development of rigorous research and interventions to make healthcare more accessible and equitable to historically underserved populations in the United States." | Egypt |
| Jirayut 'New' Latthivongskorn[95] | 2021 | "For providing a supportive path for undocumented immigrants to pursue careers in healthcare, and for advocacy in support of undocumented immigrants in the U.S." (Awarded jointly with Denisse Rojas Marquez).[95] | Thailand |
| Denisse Rojas Marquez[95] | 2021 | "For providing a supportive path for undocumented immigrants to pursue careers in healthcare, and for advocacy in support of undocumented immigrants in the U.S." (Awarded jointly with Jirayut 'New' Latthivongskorn).[95] | Mexico |
| Vivek Murthy | 2020 | "For leadership in addressing the opioid crisis and supporting public health education in the U.S." | UK, to Indian parents |
| Mona Hanna-Attisha[97] | 2019 | "For exposing lead poisoning in Flint, Michigan, through public water supply"[98] | UK, to Iraqi parents |
Art collections
The Vilcek Foundation holds several art collections that are promised gifts from founders Jan and Marica Vilcek. These collections include the American Modernism Collection,[99] which traces the development of artists such as Oscar Bluemner, Ralston Crawford, Stuart Davis, and Marsden Hartley, as well as the movement as a whole; the Native American Pottery Collection,[100] which consists primarily of objects by Acoma, Hopi, Cochiti, Kewa, Tesuque, Zia, and Zuni potters, dating from the 19th and 20th centuries; and the Pre-Columbian Collection,[101] which features objects from across the pre-Columbian world, with an emphasis on the art of Mesoamerica, and a Collection of Art by Immigrant Artists.[102]
Events and exhibitions
Summarize
Perspective
In 2019, the Vilcek Foundation opened its new headquarters on Manhattan's Upper East Side, which includes two floors of gallery space.[103] The gallery is the site of free, public exhibitions based on the Vilcek Foundation Art Collections. The Vilcek Foundation also partners with institutions throughout the United States and around the globe to develop and share exhibitions featuring work from the Vilcek Foundation Art Collections with the wider public.
Grounded in Clay: The Spirit of Pueblo Pottery (2022-2025)
In July 2022, the Vilcek Foundation supported the development and opening of the exhibition, Grounded in Clay: The Spirit of Pueblo Pottery at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe, New Mexico.[104][105] The exhibition features works of Pueblo Pottery from the Vilcek Foundation Collection and from the collection of the Indian Arts Research Center at the School for Advanced Research. The exhibition was curated by a group of more than 60 artists, historians, and stewards of Native American art, the Pueblo Pottery Collective, and is accompanied by a catalogue from Merrell Publishers. In July 2023, the exhibition opened in New York with works on view at the Vilcek Foundation and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.[106][107]
Nari Ward: Home of the Brave (2022-2023)
In May 2022, the Vilcek Foundation opened an exhibition, Nari Ward: Home of the Brave, featuring sculptures and installations by Jamaican-born artist and Vilcek Prize winner Nari Ward.[108] The exhibition was on view by appointment in the Vilcek Foundation headquarters through March, 2023.
Ralston Crawford: Air + Space + War (2021-2022)
The Vilcek Foundation presented its second major exhibition featuring works by American Modernist Ralston Crawford, following Ralston Crawford: Adventurer in the Arts. Curated by Emily Schuchardt Navratil, this landmark exhibition collected an extensive group of drawings, paintings, and photographs that document the influence of Crawford's experiences in the U.S. military on his life and work.[109]
Ralston Crawford: Air + Space + War centers on commissions Crawford undertook at the Curtiss-Wright Aircraft Plant in Buffalo, New York, and his assignment to document nuclear weapons tests conducted by the U.S. Joint Army/Navy Task Force at Bikini Atoll for Fortune Magazine in 1946.
Ralston Crawford: Air + Space + War opened at the Brandywine River Museum of Art in June 2021, where it was on view through September 2021. The exhibition subsequently opened at the Dayton Art Institute in October 2021, where it was on view through January 2022.
Ralston Crawford: Torn Signs (2019)
Ralston Crawford: Torn Signs was the first exhibition shown in the Vilcek Foundation's headquarters at 21 East 70th Street, New York, New York.[110] The exhibition features works by American Modernist Ralston Crawford.[111] Ralston Crawford: Torn Signs opened in April 2019, and was on view through November, 2019. A digital exhibition featuring selected works from the exhibition was shared on the Vilcek Foundation website from 2020 – 2021.[112]
Curated by Emily Schuchardt Navratil, Ralston Crawford: Torn Signs explores the national and international influences on the multifaceted Canadian-born artist. Although he earned acclaim early in his career for his Precisionist paintings of an industrialized America, Crawford devoted the latter part of his career to abstract painting with a remarkable emotional dimension. Ralston Crawford: Torn Signs focuses on two series—"Torn Signs" and "Semana Santa"—that the artist developed over the last two decades of his life.
The Synchromists and Oscar Bluemner's Sonnet Series (2020-2022)
In early 2020, the Vilcek Foundation launched two concurrent exhibitions in the Vilcek Foundation's headquarters, The Synchromists, and Oscar Bluemner's Sonnet Series.[113]
The Synchromists includes works by Morgan Russell and Stanton Macdonald-Wright, the founders of Synchromism.
Oscar Bluemner's Sonnet Series comprises a series of sketches for paintings by Oscar Bluemner based on 12 sonnets by poet Eirene Mungo-Park.
The exhibitions were displayed at the Vilcek Foundation in the spring of 2020; as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the foundation pivoted to launch these exhibitions online on the foundation's website. Both exhibitions are now part of the Vilcek Foundation's traveling exhibition initiative.
In Summer of 2022 The Synchromists opened at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid.[114]
Marsden Hartley: Adventurer in the Arts (2021)
Marsden Hartley: Adventurer in the Arts debuted at the Bates College Museum of Art in Lewiston, Maine in September, 2021. Curated by Emily Schuchardt Navratil, Marsden Hartley: Adventurer in the Arts brings together over 35 paintings and drawings spanning four decades of artwork by American Modernist Marsden Hartley.
To organize this unique exhibition, the Vilcek Foundation partnered with the Bates College Museum of Art, home to the Marsden Hartley Memorial Collection.
The exhibition is accompanied by a full-colour catalogue from Merrell Publishers.
Earlier events and exhibitions
The Vilcek Foundation's former headquarters, also on the Upper East Side, was the host of exhibitions and events featuring the work of immigrant artists, designers, filmmakers, and others.[115]
| Exhibition/Event | Type of Event | Year | Participant(s) | Participant's Country of Birth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Doan: hôme hôme hôme[116] | Mixed-media Installation | 2013 | Brian Doan | Vietnam |
| Pivotal Works: The Vilcek Foundation Project[117] | Series of Dance performances | 2012 | Michel Kouakou Fanny Ara Thang Dao Alice Gosti Pontus Lidberg |
Ivory Coast France Vietnam Italy Sweden |
| I Am Your Mirror[118] | Photography, Mixed-media Installation | 2012 | O Zhang | China |
| Almost Undone[119] | Mixed-media Installation | 2011 | Nicole Awai | Trinidad |
| String Theater[120] | Concert | 2011 | Mari Kimura | Japan |
| The New Vernacular: Immigrant Authors in American Literature[87] | Literature Reading | 2011 | Dinaw Mengestu Ilya Kaminsky Téa Obreht Vu Tran Simon Van Booy Liesl Schillinger (host) |
Ethiopia Russia Yugoslavia Vietnam United Kingdom - |
| Caring and Advocating for Torture Survivors[121] | Lecture | 2011 | Allen Keller (Lecturer) Samten Dapka Cheikhna Mahawa |
Tibet Mauritania |
| Senbazuru[122] | Mixed-media Installation | 2010 | Toshiko Nishikawa | Japan |
| Transparency[123] | Fashion Presentation | 2010 | Madina Vadache | Russia |
| The Vilcek Foundation Celebrates LOST[124] | Photography Installation, Exhibition of Original Props[125] | 2010 | 24 Immigrant and First Generation Cast and Crew of ABC's LOST[126] | Brazil, Chile, China, Cuba, England, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Panama, Poland, South Africa, Philippines, South Korea, Tonga |
| Circumplex[127] | Video Art Installation | 2009 | Kai-Duc Luong | Cambodia |
| enTANGOed[128] | Concert | 2009 | Peter Breiner | Slovakia |
| Mephistophelean | Exhibition of Sculpture | 2009 | Ryo Toyanaga | Japan |
| Japanese Art Today: Takashi Murakami and "Superflat" in Context[129] | Lecture | 2009 | Eleanor Heartney | |
| Why 1960's Japanese Art? Global Implications for Contemporary Art History[130] | Lecture | 2009 | Reiko Tomii | Japan |
| Asian American Artist and the Transmission of the East to the American Avant-Garde[131] | Lecture | 2009 | Alexandra Munroe | |
| American Immigrant Filmmakers on Profile[132] | Film Screening | 2008 | Sarab Neelam Sielu Avea Stephane Gauger Kai-Duc Luong Christine Choy Sherwood Hu |
India Samoa Vietnam Cambodia China China |
| The Gatekeeper of Emmyoin[133] | Film Screening | 2008 | Reiko Tahara Max Uesugi |
Japan Japan |
| Il Lee and Pouran Jinchi: Curated by Art Projects International[134] | Exhibition of paintings and drawings | 2008 | Il Lee Pouran Jinchi |
South Korea Iran |
Publications
- Kinsel, Rick, et al. Grounded in Clay : The Spirit of Pueblo Pottery. Merrell Publishers, 2022.
- Kinsel, Rick, et al. Ralston Crawford, Air + Space + War. Merrell Publishers Limited; in association with Vilcek Foundation, 2021.
- Kinsel, Rick, et al. Marsden Hartley : Adventurer in the Arts. Merrell Publishers Limited; in association with Vilcek Foundation, 2020.
- Agee, William C., et al. Masterpieces of American Modernism : From the Vilcek Collection. Merrell Publishers Limited, 2013.
- Langholtz, Gabrielle, and Rick Kinsel. A Place at the Table : New American Recipes from the Nation's Top Foreign-Born Chefs. Prestel, 2019.
- Agee, William C., et al. Ralston Crawford : Torn Signs. Merrell Publishers Ltd., in association with Vilcek Foundation, 2019.
- Vilcek Foundation. American Odysseys : Writings by New Americans. First Dalkey Archive edition, Dalkey Archive Press, 2013.
References
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