The Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College (CCS Bard) has awarded its 2026 Audrey Irmas Award for Curatorial Excellence to Los Angeles–based curator Hamza Walker. Walker, executive director of the Brick (formerly LAXART) since 2016, will receive $25,000 and be honored at CCS Bard’s spring gala in April. He is recognized for exhibitions featuring artists like Elizabeth Paige Smith, Gregg Bordowitz, and Postcommodity, and for cocurating the acclaimed "Monuments" exhibition with the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, which examines artists' responses to Confederate monument removals. Walker also secured a $1 million donation from collectors Jarl and Pamela Mohn to fund the Brick's move to a new Hollywood space and its rebranding.
The award matters because it highlights Walker's three decades of curatorial practice that has challenged dominant narratives and fostered critical dialogue through art. The Audrey Irmas Award, given annually since 1998, honors curatorial innovation and has previously recognized figures like Adriano Pedrosa, Connie Butler, and Thelma Golden. Walker's recognition underscores the importance of curators who engage with pressing social issues, such as the legacy of Confederate monuments, and who lead nonprofit arts organizations through significant transitions.