The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts has announced its 2025 Arts Writers Grant recipients, awarding a total of $1,040,000 to 31 writers and translators who are pushing the boundaries of discourse on contemporary visual art. Revealed on December 3, 2025, this year's grantees span four categories: Articles, Books, Short-Form Writing, and—for the first time—Translation. The grants, ranging from $15,000 to $50,000, underscore the foundation's commitment to fostering rigorous, innovative writing that amplifies artists' voices and contextualizes their work within broader social, political, and cultural frameworks. As the program enters its 20th year, having supported over 450 writers with more than $13.5 million since its inception, this cycle highlights projects that explore themes like decolonialism, surveillance, and cross-cultural aesthetics, reflecting the urgent issues shaping today's art world.
Established in 1987 in accordance with Andy Warhol's will, the foundation has long championed the visual arts through grants, exhibitions, and initiatives that promote creativity and critical engagement. The Arts Writers Grant, launched in 2006, specifically aims to sustain writers who delve deeply into contemporary art, ensuring that criticism remains a vital force amid declining media support for arts journalism. As Joel Wachs, President of the Andy Warhol Foundation, stated in the announcement, “By engaging deeply with works of art, exploring cultural and political contexts, and drawing connections across diverse periods and practices, arts writers broadcast artists’ voices far beyond gallery walls, reflecting—and shaping—critical issues in the social, political, and cultural landscape.” This sentiment echoes Warhol's own legacy as a boundary-pushing artist whose Pop Art icons, like his silkscreened portraits of celebrities, blurred lines between high art and mass culture.
The 2025 cycle introduces a new Translation grant category, awarding $30,000 each to three projects that bring non-English texts on contemporary visual art into English. This addition expands the program's global reach, facilitating cross-cultural dialogue. Pradeep Dalal, Director of the Arts Writers Grant, highlighted the boldness of this year's selections: “It is heartening to see the bold work and urgent issues being addressed by the 2025 Arts Writers Grantees. The incisive criticism and expansive scholarship of this year’s grantees underscore the invaluable role of visual art in our lives today.” He pointed to standout projects like Sohl Lee’s article on contemporary Pasifika art, which examines decolonial currents in the Pacific Ocean, and Salar Mameni’s book on aesthetic flows in the Arabian Sea, both reimagining frameworks beyond nation-states.
In the Articles category, six writers receive support for pieces that tackle timely intersections of art and society. Omar Berrada’s “Stitching the Desert: Blackness in North African Art” explores representations of Black identity in a region often overlooked in global art histories. Miriam Felton-Dansky’s “Vetting Regimes: The US Politics of Artist Visas from the Berlin Wall to the Muslim Ban” investigates how immigration policies impact artistic exchange. Sohl Lee’s “Contemporary Pasifika Art: Decolonial Currents and Communities in the Pacific Ocean” focuses on Oceanic artists challenging colonial legacies. Elliot Josephine Leila Reichert’s “The Integrity of the Exhibit: On Art, Censorship, and Palestine” addresses censorship in exhibitions related to Palestinian narratives. Zoé Samudzi’s “The Citizen and the Anthropophage: Postwar/Postcolonial Italian Memory and the Cannibal Boom” delves into Italy's postcolonial memory through art. Sunny Xiang’s “Asian American Art During the First Intifada” examines how Asian American artists responded to global events like the Palestinian uprising.
The Books category, the most substantial with 10 grantees, supports long-form scholarship on diverse topics. Maggie Borowitz’s An Unofficial History of Mexican Pink traces the cultural significance of color in Mexican art. Y Howard’s Erratic Erotics: Analog – Sexualities – Mortalities explores analog media's role in depicting queer experiences. Salar Mameni’s Bahamut: Aesthetic Flows of the Arabian Sea investigates maritime cultural transmissions. Lydia Platón Lázaro’s The Exchange Rate: Contemporary Women Artists and Longevity in the Caribbean highlights enduring female voices in Caribbean art. Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts’s Proving Ground: Proposals for a Genealogy of Black Feminist Land Art maps Black feminist contributions to land-based practices. Jenni Sorkin’s Deviant Scale: Cloth at the Body’s Margins examines textiles and bodily interfaces. Eric A. Stanley’s The Aesthetic Underground: Visual Insurgency in the Long 1970s uncovers radical aesthetics of the era. Ellen Tani’s Charles Gaines: Black Conceptualism and the Poetics of Systems reevaluates the work of conceptual artist Charles Gaines. Drew Thompson’s Coloring Surveillance through Polaroids: The Poetics of Black Solidarity and Sociality analyzes Polaroid photography in Black activism. Uranchimeg Tsultem’s Withstanding Power: Mongolian Artists on Resilience in the Past and Present spotlights Mongolian art's themes of endurance.
Short-Form Writing grants go to 12 writers for ongoing contributions to periodicals and online platforms. Recipients include Glenn Adamson, known for his writings on craft and design; Emily Alesandrini, focusing on emerging artists; Lisa Hsiao Chen, exploring literature-art intersections; Jean Dykstra, a photography critic; Ruth Gebreyesus, covering African diaspora art; Robert Alan Grand, on public art; Tobi Haslett, a cultural essayist; Jeremy Lybarger, specializing in literary-art hybrids; Richard May, on queer art histories; Walker Mimms, a journalist on Southern art; Lilia Rocio Taboada, addressing Latin American contemporary scenes; and Catherine G. Wagley, known for her West Coast art coverage. These writers, many of whom contribute to outlets like ARTnews and Hyperallergic, represent a vibrant ecosystem of concise, impactful criticism.
The new Translation category supports three projects: Jessica Gogan’s translation of Creation Sundays: A Poetic Collection of the Experimental in Art and Education by Brazilian critic Frederico Morais (from Portuguese); Eriko Ikeda Kay’s rendition of From Their “Onna no ko shashin” to Our Girly Photo by Japanese photographer Yurie Nagashima (from Japanese); and viento izquierdo ugaz’s version of Saturday Night Thriller and Other Writings, 1992–2013 by Peruvian artist Giuseppe Campuzano (from Spanish). These works bring underrepresented voices into English, enriching global art scholarship.
The selection process involved over 100 jurors, including past grantees and experts, ensuring diversity and excellence. Jon Lee, a former board member and founder of Lee Capital Holdings, expressed pride in the foundation's impact: “I’m very proud to be affiliated with the Warhol Foundation which has done so much to ensure the continuity of visual art in the fabric of our society.”
This announcement comes at a time when arts writing faces challenges from shrinking media budgets and AI-driven content. By funding these projects, the foundation not only sustains individual careers but also bolsters the cultural ecosystem. Past recipients have produced influential works, from books on overlooked artists to essays shaping public discourse on issues like censorship and decolonization.
The 2025 grantees reflect a global perspective, with projects spanning Pasifika communities, Arabian Sea aesthetics, and Mongolian resilience. This diversity aligns with Warhol's own boundary-breaking ethos, as seen in his collaborations with figures like Jean-Michel Basquiat. As Dalal noted, these writers address “urgent issues,” using art to imagine alternatives to border regimes and surveillance states.
For aspiring writers, the program offers a beacon. Applications for the next cycle open in spring 2026, with details on the Arts Writers Grant website. The foundation's broader efforts, including support for exhibitions at institutions like the Whitney Museum, ensure Warhol's legacy endures.
In celebrating these recipients, the Andy Warhol Foundation reaffirms the power of words to illuminate art's role in society. As Wachs put it, arts writers “honor excellence in the field, and celebrate the generative role arts writing plays in creative and intellectual spheres.” This year's grants promise to enrich our understanding of contemporary art for years to come.
The inclusion of translation grants marks a forward-thinking expansion, addressing the Anglocentric bias in art scholarship. For instance, Morais's work on Brazilian experimentalism and Nagashima's on Japanese women photographers will introduce fresh perspectives to English readers.
Among the highlights, Zoé Samudzi's article on Italian postcolonial memory and Sunny Xiang's on Asian American art during the Intifada exemplify how these projects link historical events to contemporary visual culture. Books like Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts's on Black feminist land art connect environmental justice with artistic practice, while Drew Thompson's on Polaroids in Black solidarity explores photography's dual role in activism and surveillance.
Short-form writers like Jeremy Lybarger and Catherine G. Wagley, frequent contributors to major publications, will continue shaping real-time conversations on art. Their grants enable sustained output in an era of freelance precarity.
The foundation's impact is measurable: Past grantees have influenced exhibitions, policies, and curricula worldwide. As art faces censorship and funding cuts, these voices are crucial.
In summary, the 2025 Arts Writers Grant recipients embody the foundation's mission to foster critical engagement with visual art. By supporting diverse, innovative projects, it ensures that art writing remains a dynamic force in cultural dialogue.
FAQ
What is the total amount awarded in the 2025 Arts Writers Grant?
The program awarded $1,040,000 to 31 writers and translators.
What new category was introduced in 2025?
A $30,000 Translation grant category was added to support books on contemporary visual art translated into English.
How many grantees are there in the Books category?
There are 10 grantees in the Books category, covering topics from Mexican color history to Mongolian art resilience.
Who directs the Arts Writers Grant program?
Pradeep Dalal directs the program, emphasizing the bold and urgent issues addressed by the grantees.
When do applications for the next cycle open?
Applications for the 2026 cycle open in spring 2026 via the Arts Writers Grant website.