Who Will Become the Next Vija Celmins Foundation Scholarship Recipient?
The most anticipated moment in the Vija Celmins Foundation Scholarship selection process is approaching - the award ceremony at which the recipient of the Foundation’s 2026 scholarship will be announced.
The jury’s work in selecting the scholarship recipient took place in two stages. First, the Latvian jury reviewed all submitted applications, assessing the candidates’ artistic biographies, portfolios, and motivation, and selected the finalists. The finalists’ work was then evaluated by the U.S. jury together with artist Vija Celmins, who made the final decision on the scholarship recipient.
In Latvia, the finalists were selected by a five-member jury of experts: Dr. art. Elita Ansone, art historian and Head of the ARSENĀLS Collections and Research Department at the Latvian National Museum of Art (LNMM); Zane Čulkstēna, founder of the Kim? Contemporary Art Centre and the employer consultancy company ERDA, and member of the Council of the Art Academy of Latvia; artist Kaspars Groševs, co-founder and curator of Gallery 427; artist Maija Kurševa, founder of LOW Gallery and the Riga Zine Festival, exhibition curator, and lecturer at the Art Academy of Latvia; and artist Inga Meldere.
In the United States, the finalists’ work was evaluated together with artist Vija Celmins by Vija Celmins Foundation board member and art historian Michael C. FitzGerald and Richard Armstrong, Director Emeritus of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation.
Michael C. FitzGerald is an art historian and professor with extensive experience in the study of 20th-century and modern art. His professional career has been associated with internationally renowned art institutions including MoMA (The Museum of Modern Art), the Whitney Museum, and Christie’s. FitzGerald is the author of several books and studies, with a particular focus on modernism, the work of Pablo Picasso, and the history of the art market.
Richard Armstrong served for many years as Director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and its international network of museums. Previously, he was Director of the Carnegie Museum of Art, and earlier worked as a curator at the Whitney Museum, where he was involved in organizing several prestigious Whitney Biennials. His professional experience encompasses both the leadership of major international art institutions and the development of exhibitions and collections of modern and contemporary art.
We extend our sincere thanks to all members of the jury for their dedicated and professional work throughout the evaluation process.
The scholarship recipient will be announced on September 28 at a private award ceremony.
The Vija Celmins Foundation Scholarship is made possible with the support of the law firm Ellex Kļaviņš and the American Friends of the Latvian National Museum of Art.
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