Award
29 October 2025
Kenturah Davis wins the Joyce Alexander Wein Artist Prize
Kenturah Davis has won the 2025 Joyce Alexander Wein Artist Prize at The Studio Museum in Harlem.
The Joyce Alexander Wein Artist Prize, one of the most significant awards given to individual artists in the United States today, was established in 2006 by jazz impresario, musician and philanthropist George Wein to honor his late wife, Joyce Alexander (1928–2005), a long-time Trustee of the Studio Museum and a woman whose life embodied a commitment to the power and possibilities of art and culture. Presented each year at the Studio Museum’s fall Gala, the award recognizes and honors the artistic achievements of an African-American artist who demonstrates great innovation, promise, and creativity.
Davis’ work oscillates between various facets of portraiture and design. Using text as a point of departure, the artist explores the fundamental role that language has in shaping how we understand ourselves and the world around us. This manifests in a variety of forms including drawings, photographs and sculpture. In 2025, Davis launched Accordion Press, a design lab that produces small editions of handmade artist books, works on paper and objects.
The Joyce Alexander Wein Artist Prize, one of the most significant awards given to individual artists in the United States today, was established in 2006 by jazz impresario, musician and philanthropist George Wein to honor his late wife, Joyce Alexander (1928–2005), a long-time Trustee of the Studio Museum and a woman whose life embodied a commitment to the power and possibilities of art and culture. Presented each year at the Studio Museum’s fall Gala, the award recognizes and honors the artistic achievements of an African-American artist who demonstrates great innovation, promise, and creativity.
Davis’ work oscillates between various facets of portraiture and design. Using text as a point of departure, the artist explores the fundamental role that language has in shaping how we understand ourselves and the world around us. This manifests in a variety of forms including drawings, photographs and sculpture. In 2025, Davis launched Accordion Press, a design lab that produces small editions of handmade artist books, works on paper and objects.
