Arlene Schnitzer Visual Arts Prize

The Arlene Schnitzer Visual Arts Prizes were created in 2013 with a gift from the Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation to help raise awareness of the quality of art education at PSU and to honor the late Arlene Schnitzer, who was a devoted and inspired leader of art and culture in Portland. Arlene was a dynamic advocate at the center of the Portland arts community since the 1960s. She opened one of Portland’s first art galleries and has directly supported and influenced the lives of many regional artists. We are grateful to the Harold & Arlene CARE Foundation for establishing this distinctive award that recognizes talented art students and advances the quality, profile, and reputation of our School, the College of the Arts, and the University.

• 3 prizes awarded annually, receiving $4,100 each

Deadline: Friday, May 24, 2024, at midnight (Pacific)

Help Session: How to Make a Winning Submission
Tuesday, April 23, 2024, at noon
 Join us via Zoom

Watch the 2022 Help Session (Zoom Recording)

Eligibility

Applicants must be a major in one of the programs in the Schnitzer School of Art + Art History + Design (Art Practice, Graphic Design, or Art History) or a candidate in one of the MFA programs (Studio Practice or Social Practice) AND enrolled with half-time or greater status during the term in which they apply.

All award winners must participate in an exhibition held in their honor at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at PSU. They must also be able to help install their work for the show. Prizes are considered taxable income.

Winners are typically announced in June. Prior winners may not apply again.

Application Materials

• Artist Statement (100 words)
   
• Video Artist Statement (2 minutes max.)
  Discuss the media and concept you are exploring. This could include process, purpose, intention, and your academic and professional goals.
   
• Portfolio (7 items)
  An item presents a single work and can be an image, video or audio clip (no more than 90 seconds). Video or audio clips must be a single work or taken from a single work. Multiple works presented within an image will disqualify that image. Exceptions: If one of the presented works is a cohesive series, then one installation image and one detail image is permitted. If one of the presented works is a designed campaign, packaging series or design system, then an image of no more than four pieces and one detail image may be used to represent the system. In no cases will more than a total of seven images be considered by the jury. Failure to adhere to these requirements will cause your application to be dismissed.
  
  Images (up to 10MB each), Video (up to 500MB each), Audio (up to 60MB each), PDFs (up to 20MB each)
  
  Please note that if you are submitting community-based work, you must clearly indicate your role in the project.

Past Recipients

2019 – Leah Maldonado, Maya Stoner, Samantha Ollstein Meyer

2018 – Lauren Moran, Alex Deets, Zach Whitworth

2017 – Shawn Creeden, Xi Jie Ng (Salty), Jake Manning

2016 – Renee Sills, Roz Crews, Kyle Lee

2015 – Amanda Evens, Chris Freeman, Melodee Dudley

2014 – Jea Alford, Katie Holden, Pam Minty

2013 – Patricia Vázquez Gómez, Jordan Hoagbin