Cecilia Vicuña awarded the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Environment and Art Prize
30 October 2024
MOCA Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Environment and Art Prize is a juried prize that supports artists whose practices address critical intersections in art, architecture, design, climate, conservation, sustainability, and environmental justice. Funded by philanthropists Eric and Wendy Schmidt, the prize is awarded by MOCA every two years from 2024 until 2030. The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Environment and Art Prize awards a $100,000 unrestricted honorarium and institutional support to complete a new project presented by MOCA. The winners also engage and collaborate with communities in Los Angeles and beyond.
On October 30, 2024, MOCA announced that the inaugural Eric and Wendy Schmidt Environment and Art Prize was awarded to Julian Charrière (b. 1987 in Morges, Switzerland; lives and works in Berlin, Germany) and Cecilia Vicuña (b. 1948 in Santiago, Chile; lives and works in New York, NY and Santiago, Chile).
Originally intended to be awarded to one artist, after intense deliberations, the jury selected both Charrière and Vicuña for their unique yet complementary approaches to addressing environmental issues through art. Charrière and Vicuña will each receive the full honorarium and present their commissioned works at MOCA in 2026, marking a significant milestone in MOCA’s commitment to environmental conversations through contemporary art.