Johnson Prize Winners

2004 Johnson Prize Winner

Kori Newkirk

Kori Newkirk is the recipient of the 2004 William H. Johnson Prize, an award of $25,000.
The jury convened in December, 2004 and chose Newkirk after reviewing applications
from a talented group of African American artists from throughout the United States.
The jury noted that the applicant pool was exceedingly strong overall and that the top
ten artists were especially impressive. The jury also awarded Finalist Prizes of $1000
each to Mark Bradford and Edgar Arceneaux.

Newkirk was born in Bronx, New York in 1970 and lives and works in Los Angeles. He
received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
in 1993 and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of California, Irvine in 1997.
He also was an artist in residence at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture,
Skowhegan, Maine in 1997.

Known mostly for his beaded curtains, Newkirk has created works in a range of media including photography and installation. In the last several years, Newkirk's work has been widely exhibited, with solo exhibitions at Rosamund Felsen Gallery, Santa Monica; The Project, New York and Los Angeles; Henry Art Gallery, Seattle; and the Fabric Museum and Workshop, Philadelphia. His work has also been in prestigious museum group exhibitions including Freestyle, Studio Museum in Harlem, 2001; One Planet Under a Groove: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art, Bronx Museum, 2001; A Century of Collecting: African American Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, 2003; Black Belt, Studio Museum in Harlem; and the California Biennial, Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach, 2004.

The 2004 jury consisted of Amy Adler, artist and instructor at University of California, San Diego; Aimee Chang, Curatorial Assistant, Armand Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; Heidi Zuckerman Jacobson, Curator, Matrix Gallery, Berkeley Art Museum; Eungie Joo, Director and Curator, Redcat, Los Angeles; and Franklin Sirmans, Independent Curator, New York.