Art Jewelry Forum (AJF) is pleased to announce the 2025 Linda Peshkin AJF Solo Exhibition Award.  The purpose of this grant, established by Scottsdale, AZ -based jewelry collector Linda Peshkin, is to provide the resources for the development and implementation of a solo exhibition of art jewelry that the artist would not otherwise have the means to undertake

The 2025 Linda Peshkin AJF Solo Exhibition Award is open to makers of all ages active in the field.  

Students currently enrolled in a degree program are not eligible (except PhD students); however, recent graduates are encouraged to apply. PhD students are eligible but not with exhibitions related to their thesis or graduation work.

The proposed project should be about jewelry, loosely defined.  A proposed budget must be included as part of the proposal. 

The grant recipient will receive a cash grant of $20,000, to be paid over two years. The proposed exhibition must be realized within a two-year time frame  (for 2025 edition, that means until December 2027).

The Award proposal must include:

• A biography of the artist  (the format of the artist bio is up to the applicant and can be narrative, resume, or CV format)
• Two-page description outlining the proposed exhibition and how the award will help support your work and career, and how it would enhance the field of art jewelry
• The proposal must include a letter from the proposed gallery or venue, stating that it agrees to show the exhibition if the proposal wins the award
• The project must include a curator (it may be the gallerist)
• The project must include a text by a writer (it may be the curator) to be published at the time of the opening of the exhibition
• A catalog or exhibition booklet must be included as part of the project. It may be small and in any shape and size, but must include text and images from the exhibition and must be made available for upload to AJF’s online digital archive
• One letter of recommendation supporting the applicant's readiness to realize a solo exhibition
• A detailed budget
• A project proposal portfolio of eight - ten images that support/define/clarify the project proposal

The jury of distinguished professionals for this grant cycle will be: artist and educator Caroline Broadhead (UK); gallerist and collector Mike Holmes (US), and historian and curator Grace Lai (NZ- Aotearoa).

The deadline to apply is midnight, MST (Denver, CO, USA), on January 12, 2025. More information and complete guidelines can be found at www.artjewelryforum.org. 

The winner will be announced mid-March 2025. There will be an event in Munich, Germany,  during Schmuck (12-16 March 2025) and the winner is expected to attend.

About AJF

Art Jewelry Forum is a nonprofit organization spreading awareness and increasing appreciation of art jewelry worldwide since 1997. AJF advocates for art jewelry through an ambitious agenda of education, conversation, and financial support. It commissions critical writing that sets the standard for excellence in the field and publishes artjewelryforum.org, an online resource for original content on art jewelry.

Application Requirements

Project proposal must be submitted in English:

• Artist bio

One-page artist biography. (Note: The format is up to the applicant and can be narrative, resume, or CV format)

• Project proposal

Two-page description outlining the project and how the grant will help support the artist’s work and career, and how it would enhance the field

• Proposal budget

One-page budget detailing how the monies would be used to implement the project, including materials, estimates from outside vendors, travel costs, and other expenses

• Project proposal portfolio

Eight to ten images that support/define/clarify the project proposal. (Images could be storyboard-style images to clarify the proposal; images that inspired the project; images of past work that support the new project proposal; etc.)

Each image must include a detailed caption that provides information about the image. Information could include: (if a piece of jewelry) title, year produced, dimensions, materials, photo credit; or an explanation of how the image supports or clarifies the proposal, including a photo credit

All images submitted should be available in high resolution (300 dpi or higher JPG or TIFF file) and available to AJF for use in print media and/or on its website. (Note: High-resolution images must be available to be used in promotional materials if you are selected; they do not need to be submitted in the application)

Eligibility Criteria

Professionals in the art jewelry field of any age, and career phase are eligible.

Applications from recent graduates and for first solo show are encouraged to apply.

Students currently enrolled in a degree program are not eligible (except PhD students).

PhD students are eligible but not with exhibitions related to their thesis or graduation work.

Professional staff and board members of AJF are not eligible to apply.