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2015 Christo & Jeanne-Claude Award Opens Submissions

A view of on of the highline bridges at the New York University Abu Dhabi campus on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi.

New York University Abu Dhabi Institute (NYUADI) in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF) welcomes submissions for the Christo & Jeanne-Claude Award 2015

Press Release

New York University Abu Dhabi Institute, in partnership with Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF) and under the patronage of H.H. Sheikha Shamsa bint Hamdan Al Nahyan, has announced that submissions are now open for the Christo & Jeanne-Claude Award 2015.

Now in its third year and driven towards fostering local talents’ artistic excellence, the Christo & Jeanne-Claude Award 2015 is open to UAE residents and full-time students who are currently in higher education institutions or have graduated in the past five years.

Applicants’ artwork may comprise any form of media pertaining to photography, sculpture, installation, video or land art. One of the main objectives of The Christo & Jeanne-Claude Awards is to encourage applicants to think creatively in terms of demonstrating their artwork and come up with innovative ideas that challenge the conventional demonstration of the ‘white cube’ gallery space.

The winner this year will receive USD 5,000 alongside an additional USD 15,000, which will be used to fund and further promote a touring solo exhibition of the winning work in 2015. The winning applicant will also be awarded USD 10,000 by Christo himself at the end of the touring exhibition, to fund any future artistic projects.

NYUAD's Vice Provost for Intellectual and Cultural Outreach Reindert Falkenburg said: “The number of submissions that we have received over the past years only demonstrates how much of a substantial impact the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Awards have had in the UAE, given that it was launched only 3 years ago. We are extremely delighted to be a part of this and we will continue to encourage young UAE-based artists to further develop an appetite for artistic excellence and creativity.”

Previous winners include Sheikha Maryam bint Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan in 2013 and NYU Abu Dhabi fourth-year student Erin Meekhof in 2014.

ADMAF Founder, H.E. Mrs Hoda Al Khamis-Kanoo said, “Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikha Shamsa bint Hamdan Al Nahyan, the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award aspires to further encourage local talents to contribute to the UAE’s thriving artistic sector and enhance their artistic maturity. The past two years have been very successful and we certainly look forward to welcoming submissions this year as the young local talents of today are our future art practitioners of tomorrow.

Christo said, “I am very pleased to support this award and help young local artists enhance their talents and make their dreams turn into a reality. I truly look forward to this year’s submissions and I am certain that this year will only add more value to the Awards’ already resounding success.”

Applications will be received on the NYUAD and ADMAF websites until November 1. Students must be nominated for the Award by a mentor or academic tutor, while recent graduates may apply either independently or with the support of a nominator. More information on the award and application process can be found at www.nyuad.nyu.edu and www.admaf.org.

About NYU Abu Dhabi

NYU Abu Dhabi is the first comprehensive liberal arts and research campus in the Middle East to be operated abroad by a major American research university. NYU Abu Dhabi has integrated a highly selective undergraduate curriculum across the disciplines with a world center for advanced research and scholarship. The university enables its students in the sciences, engineering, social sciences, humanities, and arts to succeed in an increasingly interdependent world and advance cooperation and progress on humanity’s shared challenges. NYU Abu Dhabi’s high-achieving students have come from over 115 countries and speak over 115 languages. Together, NYU's campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai form the backbone of a unique global university, giving faculty and students opportunities to experience varied learning environments and immersion in other cultures at one or more of the numerous study-abroad sites NYU maintains on six continents.