LINCOLN, Mass. — Massachusetts- and New York-based artist Tomashi Jackson, recipient of the 24th Rappaport Prize, will present her Rappaport Lecture at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 16, at deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, Mass. The event is free and open to the public.  

Established in 2000 and endowed in perpetuity in 2010, the prize was established by The Phyllis and Jerome Lyle Rappaport Foundation to celebrate the achievements of contemporary artists in New England.   

“We are thrilled to be hosting Tomashi Jackson for our Rappaport Lecture. She has made an indelible impact in our region and well beyond through her inspiring art and collaborative explorations of decisive yet understudied histories,” shares Sarah Montross, Chief Curator, deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, The Trustees. 

About Tomashi Jackson 

Tomashi Jackson’s (b. 1980, Houston) multimedia practice combines painting, printmaking, sculpture, photography, video, fiber art, and performance to illuminate social histories of justice, resistance, and aesthetic theory. A painterly approach anchors her practice as Jackson fuses historical images with earthen materials and ephemera that reference sites and subjects of public concern. By using nuanced color and collage strategies, Jackson invites the viewer to consider material experiences of painting, the ways in which color perception has influenced the governance of public spaces, and how marginalized communities preserve and empower themselves.   

 Jackson was included in the 2019 Whitney Biennial, was a 2019 Resident Artist at the Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture; the recipient of the 2022 Roy R. Neuberger Prize and received a Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters and Sculptors Grant in 2020. Her mid-career survey Tomashi Jackson: Across the Universe organized by the MCA Denver will be on view at the Tufts University Art Gallery from July 30- December 1, 2024. Jackson’s work belongs in the permanent collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA; The Guggenheim Museum, New York; MOCA, Los Angeles; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Parrish Art Museum, Water Mill; Pérez Art Museum Miami, FL; and the Studio Museum in Harlem, among others. She has taught at Rhode Island School of Design, Massachusetts College of Art, and Cooper Union, and has been a visiting artist at New York University. Jackson received her MFA in Painting and Printmaking from Yale School of Art in 2016, her Master of Science in Art, Culture and Technology from the MIT School of Architecture and Planning in 2012, and her BFA from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in 2010. She lives and works in Cambridge, MA and New York City, NY. 

About The Rappaport Art Prize 

Created in 2000 and endowed in 2010, the Rappaport Prize is presented to a contemporary artist with strong connections to New England and a proven record of achievement. The Rappaport Prize is one of the most generous contemporary art awards of its kind. In 2010, the Prize was endowed in perpetuity by the Phyllis and Jerome Lyle Rappaport Foundation, assuring the ongoing support of contemporary art and artists in New England. In 2022, the foundation increased the award to an unrestricted gift of $50,000. 

 The prize celebrates the achievement and potential of an artist who has demonstrated significant creativity and vision and encourages the recipient to continue a career of innovative art making. Together, deCordova and the Rappaport Foundation hope to create a community of accomplished artists whose careers have been enhanced by the recognition of the Rappaport Prize.  

 Each year, deCordova invites art professionals from around the country—museum directors, curators, collectors, and artists—to submit nominations for the Prize based on established criteria. After reviewing the nominations, as well as suggesting their own nominations, the deCordova convened a jury to consider twelve finalists. This year’s jurors are: 

For more information, visit thetrustees.org/program/rappaport-prize.  

About deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum  
Established in 1950 and located just twenty miles west of Boston, deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum is dedicated to fostering the creation and exploration of contemporary sculpture and art through a dynamic slate of rotation exhibitions, innovative learning opportunities, a constantly changing thirty-acre landscape of large-scale, outdoor, modern, and contemporary sculpture, and site-specific installations. In March of 2023 deCordova announced a temporary suspension of indoor exhibitions, while we make important updates to our HVAC and climate control systems. To learn more, visit thetrustees.org/decordova.  

About The Trustees  
Founded by landscape architect Charles Eliot in 1891, The Trustees has, for more than 130 years, been a catalyst for important ideas, endeavors, and progress in Massachusetts. As a steward of distinctive and dynamic places of both historic and cultural value, The Trustees is the one of the oldest preservation and conservation organization, and its landscapes and landmarks continue to inspire discussion, innovation, and action today as they did in the past. We are a nonprofit, supported by members, friends and donors and our more than 120 sites are destinations for residents, members, and visitors alike, welcoming millions of guests annually. www.thetrustees.org.