FAQ

Basics about Foundwork

What is Foundwork?

Foundwork is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that supports access and recognition for contemporary artists worldwide. We provide a focused online platform where emerging and mid-career artists can introduce their work to curators, gallerists and other collaborators. We also run programs that build visibility for those artists. Artists working in any medium, anywhere in the world, can join, including painting, sculpture, installation, performance, drawing, printmaking, fiber, photography, video, digital and new media, public art and social practice. Founded in New York in 2017, Foundwork now hosts artists in more than 60 countries.

What programs does Foundwork offer?

Foundwork Artist Prize: our annual juried award for emerging and mid-career artists in any medium. The honoree receives a $10,000 unrestricted grant, remote studio visits with each juror and a Dialogues interview. Three Short List artists each receive a $1,000 micro-grant. See the Artist Prize section below.

Guest Curators: curators, gallerists, artists, educators and other practitioners highlight artists on Foundwork, bringing visibility to those artists and introducing their own work to our community.

Dialogues: long-form interviews with artists from Foundwork and the wider art community, conducted by established and emerging writers, curators and critics.

What do artists share on Foundwork?

Along with their artwork, artists share what you’d find on an artist’s own website: their CV, bio and artist statement. They also tag their profiles and works with “formats” (mediums) and “attributes” (descriptive terms), which shape how others find them.

How do I find, save and contact artists?

Search artists and artwork by location, format, attribute or affiliation, such as an art school. You can use one filter or several. Artists choose their own format and attribute tags, so results reflect each artist’s intent.

Save artists to your private Saved Artists list by clicking “Save” on their profile. You can sort the list by when you saved each artist or when they last updated their profile or published new work.

Contact an artist with the “Contact Artist” button on their profile. Your message is emailed to them with your name and email address so they can reply directly. Artists reply at their discretion.

Is Foundwork involved with interactions between artists and collaborators?

No. Our website is used by artists and collaborators, but we aren’t part of their conversations or any arrangements that follow. Please use the same judgment you would in any professional setting.

Who is running Foundwork?

Adam Yokell, Executive Director and Founder, is a former gallery director who worked with emerging and mid-career artists at his Brooklyn space, Hometown. He started Foundwork in 2017 as a way to help expand access between a wider range of artists and exhibitors. A native New Yorker, Adam is now based in Los Angeles.

Isabel Flower, Editorial Director, is an editor and writer based in New York. Her writing has appeared in Artforum, Bookforum, Cultured, Kaleidoscope, Garage, Double, Grailed and The Wall Street Journal. She co-hosts the Top Rank Podcast, co-founded the research project and book Documenting the Nameplate, and edits Deem Journal.

Gabriel Cohen, Program Coordinator, is an artist, curator and writer currently based in Oxford, UK. Alongside exhibiting and publishing widely, Gabriel has spent his career working with artists and galleries to realize exhibitions and projects internationally. He is also an artist member on Foundwork.

How can I support Foundwork?

Donate anytime here. Your gift helps keep our platform and programs available to contemporary artists of all backgrounds, wherever they are based. Foundwork is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so donations are tax-deductible in the U.S. to the full extent permitted by law.

Foundwork Artist Prize

What is the Foundwork Artist Prize?

The Foundwork Artist Prize is our annual juried award for emerging and mid-career artists working in any medium. The honoree receives a $10,000 unrestricted grant, remote studio visits with each juror and an interview in our Dialogues series. Three Short List artists each receive a $1,000 micro-grant. The questions below cover eligibility and how to take part.

Who are the 2026 jurors?

The jury for the 2026 Foundwork Artist Prize includes five curators, gallerists, and artists based in New York, Berlin, Rotterdam, Guatemala City, and Los Angeles:

Stefan Benchoam, Artist and Co-Founder, Proyectos Ultravioleta and NuMu, Guatemala City

François Ghebaly, Founder, Ghebaly Gallery, Los Angeles and New York

Manuela Moscoso, Executive and Artistic Director, Center for Art, Research and Alliances (CARA), New York

Gabi Ngcobo, Director, Kunstinstituut Melly, Rotterdam

Esther Schipper, Founder, Esther Schipper Gallery, Berlin, Paris, Seoul

Who served on past juries?

2025:

Ebony Haynes, Senior Director, David Zwirner and 52 Walker, New York

Carmen Hermo, Lorraine and Alan Bressler Curator of Contemporary Art, MFA Boston, Boston

Lauren Mackler, Independent Curator, Writer, and Designer, Founder of Public Fiction, Los Angeles

Antonia Marsh, Curator and Founder, Soft Opening, London

Hugo Vitrani, Curator, Palais de Tokyo, Paris

2024:

Olivia Aherne, Curator, Chisenhale Gallery, London

Mohamed Almusibli, Director and Curator, Kunsthalle Basel

Lorraine Kiang, Cofounder, Kiang Malingue Gallery, Hong Kong

Rachel Uffner, Founder, Rachel Uffner Gallery, New York

Monsieur Zohore, Multidisciplinary artist, Richmond, New York, and Abidjan

2023:

Alex Gartenfeld, Artistic Director, Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), Miami

Davida Nemeroff, Founder, Night Gallery, Los Angeles

Shinique Smith, Multidisciplinary Artist, Los Angeles

Emiliano Valdés, Chief Curator, Medellín Museum of Modern Art, Medellín

Nicola Vassell, Founder, Nicola Vassell Gallery, New York

2022:

Edgar Arceneaux, Multidisciplinary artist, Los Angeles

César García-Alvarez, Founder and Artistic Director, The Mistake Room, Los Angeles

Lauren Kelly, Partner and Director, Sean Kelly Gallery, New York and Los Angeles

Eva Langret, Director, Frieze, London

Javier Peres, Founder, Peres Projects, Berlin, Seoul, Milan

2021:

Vanessa Carlos, Founder, Carlos/Ishikawa Gallery, London; Founder, CONDO international gallery collaborative

Qu Chang, Independent Curator and Writer, Hong Kong and Shenzhen

Bridget Donahue, Founder, Bridget Donahue Gallery, New York

Cédric Fauq, Chief Curator, musée d'art contemporain, Bordeaux

Thomas Lawson, Artist; Dean of the School of Art, CalArts; Editor-in-Chief, East of Borneo, Los Angeles

Thiago de Paula Souza, Independent Curator and Educator, Gothenburg, Sweden

2020:

Rachel Adams, Chief Curator and Director of Programs, Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, Omaha

Anat Ebgi, Founder, Anat Ebgi Gallery, Los Angeles and New York

Natasha Ginwala, Associate Curator, Gropius Bau, Berlin; Artistic Director, 13th Gwangju Biennale

Kalup Linzy, Multidisciplinary Artist, Tulsa

Humberto Moro, Director of Program, DIA Foundation, New York

2019:

DeWitt Godfrey, Artist; Professor of Art & Art History, Colgate University

Becca Hoffman, Director, Intersect Fair, Aspen and Palm Springs; Past Director, Outsider Art Fair, New York

Tod Lippy, Founder, Esopus Foundation, New York

Manuela Paz, Founder, EMBAJADA Gallery, San Juan

Helen Toomer, Founder and Artistic Director, Stoneleaf Retreat, Eddyville

What artists are eligible?

Individual artists working in any medium, anywhere in the world, who are 18 or older, can enter a binding contract, and can take part legally under U.S. law and the laws where they live. Foundwork employees, contractors and their relatives aren’t eligible.

Residents of the following locations are not eligible, for regulatory reasons outside our control: Argentina, Arizona (US), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cuba, Iran, Kosovo, Latvia, Macedonia, North Korea, Quebec (Canada), Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sudan, Syria and the UAE.

Past honorees can’t be selected again. Short List artists can’t be selected again for the next three Prizes (e.g., shortlisted in 2023 → eligible again in 2027).

All eligible artists are considered equally, whether their membership is paid, on a free trial or complimentary through a partner, and regardless of age, race, creed, color, religion, country of origin, gender, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, ancestry, disability or veteran status. Void where prohibited.

How do I enter and is there a fee?

There’s no separate entry fee or application. Your Foundwork artist profile is your entry:

  1. Sign up for an artist membership if you don't have one already ($6/month, with a 30-day free trial for new members).
  2. By 5:00 pm PT September 28, 2026, publish a profile with at least 6 artworks and an artist statement.
  3. Keep the profile published and your membership active through 5:00 pm PT December 31, 2026. After that, you can keep or cancel your membership.

What will be reviewed during the selection process?

Artists are judged on artistic merit, meaning critical engagement with, and a distinctive contribution to, their chosen media.

  1. Artwork: the first 6 works on your profile page (drag and drop to reorder them). Works must be made by you alone and not co-attributed to anyone else. We and the jury may review more works at our discretion and we encourage you to include as many works as you want to represent your practice.

  2. Video works: at least the first 3 minutes of each video will be reviewed. Use a public Vimeo or YouTube link with no password.

  3. Artist statement (required): review may be limited to the first 250 words.

  4. CV (optional): may be reviewed for context.

Notes in a work’s “Additional Information” field may not be reviewed. See the Artist Profiles section below for instructions on how to create your profile and add works.

How does selection work, and how will I hear?

  1. Our staff selects 50 finalists and passes them to the jury.

  2. The jury chooses one honoree and three Short List artists.

  3. We email them to verify eligibility. They have 7 calendar days to reply with proof of postal address and anything else we request, which may include a signed eligibility affirmation and publicity release. If someone doesn’t reply in time, the jury may choose an alternate from the finalists.

  4. Once eligibility is verified, we email to confirm the selection.

All notices come from [email protected] to your account email, so keep that address current and make sure our emails aren’t filtered as spam. We notify finalists individually but can’t contact everyone else. If you haven’t heard from us by the end of the selection period, you weren’t selected as a finalist.

Please note that we don't accept materials sent to us by email, postal mail or any other route. Anything sent to us won't be reviewed or returned and may be disposed of at our discretion.

Can I update my profile or add new work during the selection period?

Yes, as long as you keep at least 6 artworks and an artist statement published. We review on a rolling basis, so changes made during the selection period may not be considered.

How do studio visits work?

Once the honoree is confirmed, we introduce them to each juror by email. They then schedule a remote studio visit by video call. We can’t offer travel stipends.

Can artist duos or collectives apply?

No. The Prize recognizes individual artists only, but duos and collectives are very welcome to share their work on Foundwork.

Where can I review the official Prize Rules?

The official Prize Rules govern the Prize and set out the full terms and conditions that apply to all artists. Read them here.

Artist Profiles

How do I set up and publish my profile?

After signing up, log in on a computer and click Artist Profile in the top corner to open the profile manager. It doesn’t appear on phones or small browser windows. To publish your profile, add:

Please keep your profile focused on your art: no headshots or portrait photos, unless photographing yourself is part of your practice and the image is the artwork.

How do I add and manage artworks?

Go to the Artworks section in the profile manager and click Add an Artwork. To save a work, add images or a video link along with the work’s date and format. Title, medium, dimensions and attribute tags are optional. Each work can include up to 6 images or 1 video. Videos must be public Vimeo or YouTube links with no password. Images should show only your work, with no added text (no posters or flyers).

Drag and drop works to reorder them, and use each work’s Published/Unpublished setting to show or hide it.

What are "formats" and "attributes"?

Formats and attributes are tags you can apply to your profile and to individual artworks to help people find them on Foundwork. Formats are mediums (painting, sculpture, performance, digital, etc.). Attributes are descriptive or critical terms (figurative, formalism, political, diaristic, etc.). Tagged profiles and works appear when someone searches for that format or attribute.

How do I add my artist statement and CV?

In the profile manager, open Artist Statement or CV, add your text and save. Your profile updates right away. Both are optional for your profile, but a statement is required for the Artist Prize.

To format your CV, use capitals for section headers, italics for exhibition and publication titles, Return for line breaks and Tab to indent. For example:

EXHIBITIONS

2019 Show Title, Venue Name, Location

PRESS AND PUBLICATIONS

2019 Title, Author, Publication

How do I add a school to my profile?

If you studied studio art at the undergraduate or graduate level, add your school so people can find you by school, degree or class year. Click Add a School near the bottom of the profile manager and enter the school, degree and graduation year. You can add more than one. If your school isn’t listed, email [email protected] and we’ll add it.

How can people get in touch with me through Foundwork?

The Contact button on your profile sends messages to your contact email without showing that address publicly. You can share your email elsewhere, such as in your CV, if you choose.

Membership and Accounts

How do I sign up and what does it cost?

Go to the Sign Up page and enter your full name, email and a password (8+ characters). Artist memberships are $6/month, with a 30-day free trial for new members. They renew monthly, can be canceled anytime, and include a full profile with your CV, artist statement and unlimited artworks (images and embedded video).

Already have a non-artist account? Go to Settings (menu in the top corner), click Change to Artist Account and enter a payment method.

How does billing work?

Your membership fee is charged automatically to your chosen payment method at the start of each monthly cycle. Payments are processed by PayPal and Stripe, so you can use a credit card, debit card or bank debit through PayPal. To download invoices, go to Settings and scroll to Invoices.

Are membership fees tax deductible?

No. Although Foundwork is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, membership fees pay for your profile and our publishing and archiving tools. Because you receive something of value in return, they don’t count as a donation.

How do I change or reset my password?

To change it, go to Settings. If you forgot it, click here and enter your account email, and we’ll send you a reset link.

How do I cancel or reactivate my membership?

To cancel, go to Settings, click Cancel Membership at the bottom and confirm. Your profile and artwork will be unpublished when you cancel. There are no refunds for partial months, so your current cycle’s fee is your last charge.

To reactivate, log in with your previous credentials. Artist members will need to re-enter a payment method. The 30-day free trial is only for first-time members.

Help and Contact

How do I contact Foundwork?

Email [email protected] for help with memberships, payments, the site, or our programs, and for press inquiries. Support is available by email only, Monday–Friday, 9:00 am–5:00 pm PT. We’re a small team, so replies can take a few days, and we don’t monitor social media DMs.