King Exhibition & Awards 2026
About the King Exhibition & Awards
All awards are based on artistic merit. In 2013, Gretchen King (BA in English ’59) worked with the Department of Art & Art History to establish the King Competition and Exhibition, the department’s first juried student exhibition. Since that time fellow alums, Meridee Moore (BA in Philosophy ’80) and Kevin King (BFA in Fine Arts ’81) have joined Gretchen in generously supporting the annual competition and exhibition, allowing the department to offer undergraduate and graduate students monetary awards, and to showcase their work in the Visual Arts Complex.
Awards
All Art and Art History majors and graduate students are invited to apply!
- $3000 for first-place Grad and Undergrad
- $2000 for second-place Grad and Undergrad
- $1000 for third-place Grad and Undergrad
- $500 for 4 honorable mentions
Your award will be paid to your student account. Any balance due will be paid, and the remaining funds will be sent to you via direct deposit (direct deposit set-up instructions)
Exhibition
The award-winning artwork will be displayed both online and in the Visual Arts Complex:
- A virtual showcase of all applicants and awardees will be featured on the art and art history website in conjunction with a curated, in-person exhibition featured at the Visual Arts Complex of the 10 award winners (3 grads and 3 undergrads, and 4 honorable mentions).
King Jurors 2026
Vicki and Kent Logan Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art
Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO
Deputy Director
The Brick, Los Angeles
Catherine Taft is a curator, writer, and Deputy Director of The Brick in Los Angeles. Previously, she held curatorial positions at the Whitney Museum of American Art and at the Getty Research institute. Her 2024 traveling survey of ecofeminist art, ‘Life on Earth,’ received an Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Research Fellowship, among other notable grants. A related publication is forthcoming in 2026 through Inventory Press. She is a 2021 Fellow of the Center for Curatorial Leadership and is Adjunct Faculty in the Graduate Art program of Art Center College of Design. Catherine Taft is a University of Colorado Boulder alumna.
Important Dates & Deadlines
Submission deadline:
Monday, February 2nd, 2025 at 11:59 PM
Official notification of the finalists:
Monday, February 23rd, 2024
Exhibition reception and awards ceremony:
Friday, March 6th from 4-6 PM
Link to Application
You must fully complete this application to be considered for the King Exhibition & Awards:
Please be advised that the application cannot be saved as a draft. Ensure you are prepared to complete it, as you will not be able to edit the application once it has been submitted.
After you click the "submit" button, you will receive a confirmation email indicating that your application was successfully submitted. If you do not receive this email, we have not received your submission, and you should try again.
Contact Information
Please reach out to finearts@colorado.edu
Main Art & Art History office: Visual Arts Complex, 3rd Floor
Visit the Visual Resources Center for more information about photographing your work and digital image formatting
Visual Resources Center
Build a Professional Artwork Portfolio
When preparing your application for the Art & Art History Scholarships and the King Exhibition & Awards, it is required to submit high-quality images of your artwork. We are here to help!
The Visual Resources Center (VRC) offers a Portfolio Photography Room, photography equipment, digital imaging stations, and training in portfolio photography and digital portfolio management.
The Visual Resources Center is located in the Visual Arts Complex, Room 310.
Contact information:
The most immediate way for students and faculty to reach us is by chat in Microsoft Teams: log in with your CU email address (IdentiKey@colorado.edu) and IdentiKey password, and start a chat with Elaine Paul or Lia Pileggi. You can also email us at aahvrc@colorado.edu with questions.
Finalist's Artwork Exhibition
The award-winning artwork will be displayed both online and in the Visual Arts Complex:
- A virtual showcase of all applicants and awardees will be featured on the Art and Art History website in conjunction with a curated, in-person exhibition featured at the Visual Arts Complex of the 10 award winners (3 grads and 3 undergrads, and 4 honorable mentions).
- Up to three images for each applicant will be displayed online, chosen at the discretion of the Art & Art History faculty and staff. Please review last year's webpage as an example.
- All forms of artwork will be considered but there might be limited ability to accommodate the installation needs of all work(s) due to space restrictions.
- A compilation featuring award-winning time-based artworks will be displayed.
- The student assumes the responsibility for any liability or damages to work on display.
Visual Arts Complex Exhibition Details
Artwork Installation:
Thursday, 2/26 to Monday, 3/2
Exhibition officially on view in VAC:
Wednesday, 3/4
Exhibition Reception and Awards ceremony:
Friday, 3/6 from 4-6 PM
Students Deinstallation/Repair:
Monday, 3/23