Andrew Wilson, Fruit, 2016. Photography courtesy of J. Astra Brinkmann

About The Annual Murphy Award and Cadogan Scholarships for MFA Students

The Jack K. and Gertrude Murphy Award and the Edwin Anthony and Adalaine Boudreaux Cadogan Scholarships help fuel the forward-thinking visual arts movement that makes the Bay Area unique. These awards were established in 1986 and are designed to further the development of Bay Area master of fine arts students and to foster the exploration of their artistic potential. The winners of the Murphy Award and the Cadogan Scholarships receive financial awards (award amounts to be determined when applications reopen). Each winner also has their work displayed in a professionally curated group exhibition at SOMArts Cultural Center.

This exhibition and program is done in partnership with San Francisco Foundation. The San Francisco Foundation is committed to a Bay Area where everyone can get a good job, live in a safe and affordable home, and exercise their political voice. The foundation advances its work through grantmaking, partnerships with donors, policy advocacy, and impact investing.

The Annual Murphy & Cadogan Art Awards Exhibition 2021

The Annual Murphy & Cadogan Art Awards Exhibition, 2021.
Exhibition documentation courtesy of Chani Bockwinkel

2021 awardees
Photography courtesy of Chani Bockwinkel

Application Guidelines

Click on the sections below to read more about the Murphy Award and Cadogan Scholarship application guidelines and how to apply. Questions? Please email [email protected]

  • The Murphy Award and Cadogan Scholarships are available to Bay Area MFA (not MA) students to underwrite tuition for their continued academic study. These awards assist students enrolled in an MFA program to develop and explore their artistic potential in painting, sculpture, hybrid practice, installation art, mixed media, drawing, and photography. See this guide to check if you are eligible to apply.
  • Students must have completed at least one semester of graduate study as of January 1, 2023, be continuously enrolled in the same program, and be in good standing through Fall 2023. Award recipients may be required to provide proof of continuing school enrollment through Fall 2023.
  • Previous winners of the Murphy or Cadogan awards are not eligible to apply.
  • There is no application fee.

  • Recent Work: We will only accept artwork samples that were completed in 2021, 2022, or 2023. Work must be created solely by the applicant; collaborations are not accepted. All work samples must be uploaded with your application to be considered for the award.
  • Submission Formats: Applicants will be allowed to submit work samples in two formats:
    • Image Work Sample: Applicants will upload (1) Work Sample PDF that includes up to 10 image based work samples with the artwork details (title, year, media, dimensions) for each work and optional 50 word maximum description for each work. Work Sample .pdf must not exceed file size limit of 10mb. Name the file with the following format ‘LastNameFirstName_Work Sample.’ – Upload the .pdf onto the SlideRoom application.
    • Time-Based Media Work Samples: Applicant submitting time-based media (i.e. video or audio) will be prompted to provide URL link(s) to an online video streaming platform and artwork information directly on SlideRoom. If links are password protected, be sure to provide the password.
    • For a combination of still images with time-based media (i.e. audio or video), 1 minute of time-based media is equal to 1 image (e.g. you can submit 2 minutes of time-based media and 8 images, 3 minutes of time-based media and 7 images, etc.). If you plan to submit all time-based media as you work samples, you may not to exceed a total of 10 minutes.
    • Maximum of 10 work samples will be accepted per submission. Additional samples exceeding the maximum will not be reviewed.
    • Work samples can include performance aspects of movement and/or interaction if artists’ practice encompasses this. Applicants can clarify this relationship within the one sentence (50 words or fewer) description accompanying the particular work sample.
  • Questions? Please email [email protected]

  • Go to the Application
  • Applications open: Thursday, March 15, 2023
  • Deadline: Wednesday, April 19, 2023, 11:59 PM PST

About the Donors

Gertrude Murphy was a San Francisco-based sculptor. She was a recipient of numerous art awards and exhibited her work at the deYoung Museum and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Her husband, Jack K. Murphy, was a civic leader who served as president of the Jackson Square Association.

Edwin Anthony and Adalaine Boudreaux Cadogan met while attending the San Francisco Art Institute and later were both active members of the Marin Society of Artists. Adalaine devoted herself to painting and sculpture and Edwin worked primarily in oil painting and stoneware pottery. He was an alumnus of Berkeley High School and served as the head the art department at College of Marin, where Cadogan Hall is named in his honor. Adalaine and Edwin both experienced financial difficulties while in art school and understood the great impact scholarships could make during this early phase in an artist’s career. The Cadogans never had children, but in a handwritten letter to the foundation, Adalaine wrote that she wished for the “art students of the future to be our children.”

The Annual Murphy & Cadogan Art Awards Exhibition 2021