Ellsworth Kelly Award

The Ellsworth Kelly Award supports museum exhibitions for contemporary artists. Ellsworth Kelly recognized that a museum exhibition can be transformative for an artist's career and this eponymous award is intended to provide that opportunity to artists. This award is endowed by the Ellsworth Kelly Foundation in memory of the artist.

Established in 2016, the Kelly Award is a $45,000 grant to support a solo exhibition of a contemporary visual artist at a U.S. art museum or university or college art gallery. The award is made annually by the Foundation for Contemporary Arts to one regional institution, alternating each year between two main geographic regions, east and west of the Missouri River. Each year, FCA invites a small number of institutions to submit proposals. Although the award is made to the exhibiting institution, the Kelly Award is made in order to create an opportunity for a solo exhibition of the work of an emerging, mid-career, or under-recognized artist. The recipient institution is selected based on the perceived strength of the proposed artist's work and the impact the exhibition might have on his or her career.

The Ellsworth Kelly Award is administered by invitation only; unsolicited applications will not be considered.