The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation has announced the recipients of its Rauschenberg Centennial Awards, granting $100,000 in unrestricted funds to five creators across four disciplines. The winners include Senga Nengudi for art, David Thomson for performance, Chandra McCormick and Keith Calhoun for photography, and Patricia Spears Jones for writing. Established to commemorate the late artist’s 100th birthday in 2025, the awards recognize alumni of the foundation’s Captiva Residency program who demonstrate artistic excellence and community impact.
These awards highlight the foundation's shift toward significant financial patronage as a means of honoring Rauschenberg's legacy of interdisciplinary collaboration. By selecting established figures like Nengudi—a Nasher Prize winner known for her pioneering sculpture and performance—and the Louisiana-based documentary duo McCormick and Calhoun, the foundation reinforces its commitment to artists whose work addresses complex social, political, and historical narratives.