13th Biennial Alexander Rutsch Award Winner: ransome – Opening Reception
Pelham Art Center is pleased to announce ransome as the winner of the 13th Biennial Alexander Rutsch Award for Painting. A solo exhibition of a selection of paintings by ransome is on view May 29-July 13 at Pelham Art Center. An opening reception will be held on May 29 from 6-8pm and is open to the public.
ransome was selected by a jury from among 560 applicants nationwide. The nine national finalists include Pia De Girolamo, Sherry Mayo, Jeffrey Morabito, Jing Quin, Matt Rosenbaum, Jodi Steifel, Jingqi Steinhiser, Sandra Taggart, and Bradley Wood. These talented artists represent a wide range of original perspectives and approaches to their work. The judging panel for the 13th Biennial Rutsch Award was composed of Rutsch family members, Pelham Art Center staff, and guest juror Erika Ranee.
ransome’s artwork centers on his African American lineage, which is traced back to sharecroppers of the American South who migrated to Northern cities along the East Coast. His pictorial narratives are personal, yet the symbols he uses are universal and interplay with larger social, racial, ancestral, economic, and political histories that inform our nation to this day. ransome states, “I am beyond honored to be this year’s recipient of the 13th Alexander Rutsch Award and Exhibition for Painting 2025. I share Rutsch’s interest in line, abstraction and his unwavering belief in painting. His enduring support for painters has helped to foster a thriving arts community of which I am privileged to now be a part of.”
The Rutsch family states: “We are both honored and excited to present the 13th annual Alexander Rutsch Award at the Pelham Art Center this year. This year’s finalists were a magnificent group of accomplished painters with an inspiring and diverse range of vision. We look forward to sharing the 2025 winner, ransome, whose deeply personal exploration of identity and heritage also addresses broader societal themes. We look forward to sharing this powerful work with the community. Our sincere thanks to guest juror Erika Ranee for her invaluable insight and contributions to the selection process.”
*image, ransome, The Artist
About the Alexander Rutsch Award
The Alexander Rutsch Award is a juried competition open to U.S.-based artists aged 19 and older. The winner is awarded a cash prize, a solo exhibition and printed catalog at Pelham Art Center. The seven finalists also receive cash prizes. Pelham Art Center is proud to sponsor this competition and award honoring the memory and artistic achievement of artist Alexander Rutsch (1916 – 1997). Rutsch actively supported Pelham Art Center for more than 25 years. After his death, friends, family and supporters established a generous fund to support a biennial, open, juried competition in painting.
Previous Winners of the Biennial Rutsch Award:
2023 Award Winner: Haley Hasler
2021 Award Winner: Matthew Cole
2019 Award Winner: Sarah McKenzie
2017 Award Winner: Sammy Chong
2015 Award Winner: Lindy Chambers
2013 Award Winner: Siobhan McBride
2011 Award Winner: Nina Rizzo
2009 Award Winner: Tracy Miller
2007 Award Winner: Liang Guo
2005 Award Winner: Dorothy Robinson
2003 Award Winner: Mitchell Marco
2001 Award Winner: Frank Trankina
