Sculpture professor Selva Aparicio wins Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise
Selva Aparicio, assistant professor of sculpture in the Alfred University School of Art and Design, was recently named a recipient of the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Visual Arts.
Given by the Vilcek Foundation, the recognition comes with a $50,000 award. Each year, the Vilcek Foundation awards a total of $250,000 in Prizes for Visual Arts as part of its mission to build awareness of the vital role immigration plays in enriching arts, culture, and society in the United States.
One honoree received the Vilcek Prize in Visual Arts, which comes with a $100,000 award. Aparicio was one of three artists who each received $50,000 as Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Visual Arts recipients. The awards honor young immigrant artists whose work demonstrates exceptional creativity and outstanding potential. Immigrant artists under the age of 40 working in painting, ceramics, sculpture, installation, drawing, printmaking, and fiber arts were eligible to apply for one of three prizes; the recipients were selected by a jury of experts appointed by the Vilcek Foundation.
Born in Barcelona, Spain, Aparicio received the Creative Promise Prize for her sculptures and installations, which incorporate organic materials and ritualistic imagery to explore themes of death, mourning, memory, and temporality. She studied at the Escola Massana, earning a Superior Technician in Plastic Arts and Design in Sculptural Techniques degree; she earned her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and her MFA from the Yale University School of Art.
Aparicio was International Randall Chair in Sculpture in the Alfred University School of Art and Design for the fall 2023 semester. She won the 2023 Burke Prize, a biennial award honoring excellence in contemporary craft, given by the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) in New York City. It honors an artist aged 45 or under working in the United States, whose highly accomplished work is conceptually rigorous, relevant, and pushes the boundaries of materials and creative process.