Press Release: SOMArts and SFF present 2023 Murphy and Cadogan Contemporary Art Awards Exhibition

SOMArts Cultural Center and San Francisco Foundation presents
2023 Murphy and Cadogan Contemporary Art Awards Exhibition
featuring 13 emerging Bay Area Artists from regional MFA programs

Curated by Kevin B. Chen
On view Friday, September 15–Friday, October 6, 2023
Opening Reception & Awards Ceremony, Thursday, September 14, 6–9 PM

August 28, 2023, San Francisco, CA – SOMArts Cultural Center and San Francisco Foundation present the 2023 Murphy and Cadogan Contemporary Art Awards Exhibition, a focused look at the future of the Bay Area visual and media arts landscape, on view September 15–October 6, 2023. Each year, this exhibition showcases the work of promising visual artists from regional Master of Fine Arts (MFA) programs working across disciplines and identifies artists whose work intersects with emerging trends.

The exhibition surveys new work from the 14 recipients of the competitive Jack and Gertrude Murphy Fellowships and the Edwin Anthony and Adelaine Bourdeaux Cadogan Scholarships. All awardees benefit by receiving mentorship from renowned artist and curator Kevin B. Chen and SOMArts Cultural Center.

The Jack K. and Gertrude Murphy Award is given to one MFA student of exceptional caliber with great artistic promise. This year’s Jack K. and Gertrude Murphy awardee is Stanford’s Joanna Keane Lopez. Lopez’s multidisciplinary practice uses nature and organic materials such as mud and adobe as well as teachings of “enjarradoras and adoberas, women who specialize in the traditional craft of earthen architecture who continue the practice today in the complex cultural landscape of New Mexico” to investigate the ongoing history and reality land contamination, and nuclear colonialism.

Edwin Anthony and Adalaine Boudreaux Cadogan both experienced financial challenges as art students and understood the great difference scholarships can make in the early phase of an artist’s career. Amongst this year’s 14 Cadogan awardees are Chelsea Ameríca Torres who “investigates themes around self worth, vanity, materialism, intimacy, and the dynamics of sex and power in the domestic landscape,” Barbadian freelance performer, maker and researcher Valencia James whose “work explores remote interdisciplinary collaboration with creative technologists and how emerging technologies like machine learning and computer vision might enhance creativity in her contemporary dance practice and vice-versa.”

The 2023 Murphy & Cadogan Contemporary Art Awards Exhibition opens with reception and awards ceremony on Thursday, September 14, 6:00–9:00 PM. This event is free and all ages, RSVP is encouraged.

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ABOUT SOMARTS CULTURAL CENTER

SOMArts Cultural Center, founded in 1979, cultivates access to the arts within the Bay Area by collaborating with community-focused artists and organizations. Together, we engage the power of the arts to provoke just and fair inclusion, cultural respect, and civic participation.

SOMArts is located at 934 Brannan Street—between 8th and 9th—within 2 blocks of 101, I-80, Muni lines, and bike paths. For public information call 415-863-1414 or visit somarts.org. Stay connected by following us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

ABOUT 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. Learn more at sff.org.