2024 Empowered Artist Award Recipients

Arts Mid-Hudson is thrilled to announce the 2024 Empowered Artist Award recipients, a prestigious recognition bestowed upon exceptional artists in Dutchess, Orange, and Ulster Counties. This annual award, created in honor of Linda Marston-Reid, the former executive director of Arts Mid-Hudson, provides unrestricted funds to support artists in pursuing their creative journeys.

The Empowered Artist Award addresses the critical need for artists to access unrestricted funds that enable them to continue their artistic practice, elevate their careers, and enhance their visibility within their communities. These grants empower artists to create new works, acquire essential equipment, access educational opportunities, and meet their financial obligations.

2024 Dutchess County Recipient

Jayoung Yoon

“Drawing inspiration from Buddhist philosophy and quantum physics, I explore interconnectedness through shimmering veils crafted from hair and natural fiber materials. These delicate materials and their interweaving reflect both the fragility and interdependence of existence. In my current series, The Fabric of Energy, I create torus-shaped sculptures that visualize continuous energy movement. The Empowered Artist Award enables me to deepen this exploration, advancing the project beyond its early stages through dedicated focus.”

Upcoming Events featuring Jayoung

Artists in Residence at Museum of Arts & Design

at MAD Artist Studios
2 Columbus Circle, NYC, 10019

August 20, 2025 - February 20, 2026 | Every Saturday from 10:30 AM - 5:30 PM

"MAD's Artist Studios program invites visitors to ask questions, view works in progress, and gain firsthand exposure to the creative process of resident artists and designers working on site at the Museum. The residents represent diverse experimental creative practices and participate in a wide range of intergenerational public programming. Open studio hours are held Wednesday through Saturday from 10:30 am to 5:30 pm. During that time, the artists welcome Museum visitors inside their workspaces for conversation and close looking." 

2024 Orange County Recipient

Rachel Berg

"My interdisciplinary artistic practice draws upon the natural world and Indigenous values, expressing Lakota ontologies through diverse mediums such as paint, plaster, fabric, and found objects. By exploring natural cycles, human connections to ecosystems, and multi-cultural ancestral teachings, I intend to create spaces for reflection and healing, to seek deeper emotional understandings of the universal mystery of life, death, and human interconnectedness with Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ (All My Relations, referring to all living beings)."

2024 Ulster County Recipient

Shani Richards

“As a craft labor activist, I create art to honor my ancestors and provoke viewers to critically engage with the complex truths of America."

Previous Empowered Artist Award Recipients