Jennifer Packer and Marie Watt win 2025 Heinz Awards for the Arts with $250,000 prizes

Jennifer Packer and Marie Watt have been selected as the 2025 Heinz Award for the Arts recipients, each receiving $250,000. The Pittsburgh-based Heinz Family Foundation, which established the annual award in 1993, will host a ceremony in Pittsburgh in October where both artists will be honored alongside winners in the 'Economy' and 'Environment' categories. Teresa Heinz, chair of the Heinz Family Foundation, praised Packer's paintings for blending beauty with grief and bearing witness to history, compelling viewers toward changed understanding and respectful connection. Watt, an enrolled citizen of the Seneca Nation of Indians based in Portland, was honored for her thought-provoking work that invites engagement with Indigenous traditions, culture, and histories, applying collective wisdom to contemporary life. Her community-engaged practice creates lasting intergenerational connections and brings joy. Previous winners include filmmaker Cauleen Smith, interdisciplinary artist Gala Porras-Kim, and ceramicist Roberto Lugo.