Mildred Howard Wins Artists' Legacy Foundation Award
The Artists' Legacy Foundation has revealed that Mildred Howard will receive its 2026 Artist Award, which includes a $25,000 grant aimed at supporting significant painters or sculptors. Howard, celebrated for her contributions to public art in the Bay Area and her exploration of the Black American narrative, was taken aback by the award's announcement. Notable past honorees include Jaune Quick-to-See Smith and Howardena Pindell. After ten years, Stephan Jost is stepping down as the Art Gallery of Ontario's director and CEO. Additionally, over 25 artists have been awarded nearly $500,000 through the Anonymous Was A Woman Environmental Art Grants. Cuauhtémoc Medina has been appointed curator for the 25th Bienal de Arte Paiz, while David Zwirner is set to showcase Yayoi Kusama's final pieces next spring.
Key facts
- Mildred Howard wins the Artists' Legacy Foundation 2026 Artist Award, an unrestricted $25,000 prize.
- Howard is known for public art in the Bay Area and works in assemblage, collage, sculpture, and installation.
- Previous recipients include Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Howardena Pindell, and Suzan Frecon.
- Stephan Jost steps down as director and CEO of the Art Gallery of Ontario after a decade.
- Anonymous Was A Woman Environmental Art Grants awarded nearly $500,000 to over two dozen artists for 27 projects.
- Cuauhtémoc Medina will curate the 25th Bienal de Arte Paiz in Guatemala City and Antigua, Guatemala (Nov 2027–Feb 2028).
- Leilah Babirye is now represented by Salon 94, Gordon Robichaux, and Galerie Max Hetzler.
- Alex Katz, aged 99, will have an exhibition pairing his works with Henri Matisse at the Matisse museum in Nice.
- Yayoi Kusama's final works will be shown by David Zwirner next spring; she died at 97.
- David Nolan Gallery opens a new 6,000-square-foot space in Tribeca on September 9 with Valerio Adami.
Entities
Artists
- Mildred Howard
- Judy Dater
- Jaune Quick-to-See Smith
- Howardena Pindell
- Suzan Frecon
- Ifrah Mansour
- Cuauhtémoc Medina
- Margarita Lizcano Hernandez
- Leilah Babirye
- Edouard Kopp
- Yayoi Kusama
- Valerio Adami
- Alex Katz
- Henri Matisse
- Jackson Pollock
- Stephan Jost
- Nan Goldin
- Jeffrey Brown
Institutions
- Artists' Legacy Foundation
- Hyperallergic
- Art Gallery of Ontario
- Anonymous Was A Woman
- New York Foundation for the Arts
- Bienal de Arte Paiz
- The Latinx Project
- Salon 94
- Gordon Robichaux
- Galerie Max Hetzler
- Menil Drawing Institute
- Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art
- Cornell University
- David Zwirner
- David Nolan Gallery
- PBS News Hour
- Jenkins Johnson Gallery
- Matisse Museum
Locations
- Bay Area
- San Francisco
- Minnesota
- Guatemala City
- Guatemala
- Antigua
- Tribeca
- New York
- Maine
- Nice
- France