Launched to recognize the center’s 20th anniversary, the Vera List Center Prize for Art and Politics honors an artist or group of artists who has taken great risks to advance social justice in profound and visionary ways. International in scope, the biennial prize is awarded for a particular project’s long-term impact, boldness, and artistic excellence.

The prize initiative unfolds across various platforms and over an extended period of time. It serves as a catalyst for activities that illuminate the important role of the arts in society, and strengthen teaching and learning at The New School in art and design, social science, philosophy, and civic engagement. More than a single moment of recognition, it represents a long-term commitment to the question of how the arts advance social justice, how we speak of, evaluate and teach such work.

An exhibition of the winning project, a conference, integration into classes, and a publication featuring select nominated projects complement a cash award and short-term New York City residency for the honoree. In the spirit of the center’s twenty-year history, the prize provides the opportunity for an ongoing public conversation on art and social justice as a global issue that engages audiences in New York City, nationally and around the world.

In gratitude to Jane Lombard, whose generous donations to The Vera List Center make possible the continuation of the aforementioned efforts and initiatives, the Vera List Center Prize for Art and Politics was renamed The Jane Lombard Prize for Art and Social Justice, starting with the 2018–2020 biennial prize cycle.

Read more about the Jane Lombard Prize for Art and Social Justice on the ARTNEWS website.

The inaugural prize was presented in 2012 to Theaster Gates for Dorchester Projects; the second in 2014 to Abounaddara for Emergency Cinema, their weekly films documenting contemporary life in Syria; the third in 2016 to Brazilian artist Maria Thereza Alves for her twenty-year project Seeds of Change, and the fourth to Pan-African collective Chimurenga for their Pan-African Space Station. The fifth recipient was Avni Sethi for Conflictorium, an interactive museum in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.

proppaNOW is the recipient of the 2022–2024 Jane Lombard Prize for Art and Social Justice for OCCURRENT AFFAIR. Conceived as a collaborative activist gesture, the project addresses current socio-political, economic and environmental issues, while celebrating the strength, resilience and continuity of Aboriginal culture.

Read the announcement, including jury statement, and more about proppaNOW here. Along with the prize recipient, the finalists for the prize are named Jane Lombard Fellows, initiated during the 2018–2020 biennial prize cycle.

2022–2024 Jane Lombard Fellows:
Another Roadmap Africa Cluster for Another Roadmap School (Kampala, Nyanza, Lubumbashi, Kinshasa, Maseru, Johannesburg, Lagos, and Cairo)
Colectivo Cherani for the Cherán Cultural Center (Cherán, Michoacán, Mexico)
KUNCI Study Forum & Collective for the School of Improper Education (Yogyakarta, Indonesia)
Khalil Rabah for the Palestinian Museum of Natural Sciences and Humankind (Ramallah, Palestine)

2020–2022 Jane Lombard Fellows:
Jorge González for Escuela de Oficios (Puerto Rico)
NayanTara Gurung Kakshapati for Nepal Picture Library (Lalitpur, Nepal)
Emeka Okereke for Invisible Borders (Lagos, Nigeria, and elsewhere)
Underground Resistance for Submerge Project (Detroit, US)

2018–2020 Jane Lombard Fellows:
Emily Jacir, Annemarie Jacir, and Yusuf Nasri Jacir for Dar Yusuf Nasri Jacir for Art and Research
Liz Johnson Artur for the Black Balloon Archive
Tiffany Chung for the Vietnam Exodus Project
Naine Terena de Jesus for Oráculo
Jasmeen Patheja for Blank Noise

2016–2018 VLC Prize Finalists:
Forensic Architecture (London)
Gulf Labor Artist Coalition (New York)
House of Natural Fiber (Yogyakarta, Indonesia)
IsumaTV (Canada)
MadeYouLook (Johannesburg, South Africa)

2021