Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vestibulum sagittis mi eu elementum malesuada. Maecenas arcu felis, suscipit vitae mi in, posuere ultricies nunc. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut ante velit, condimentum eget erat a, suscipit porttitor nisl. Pellentesque in semper nunc
Closing out the VLC Forum 2025, we announce and celebrate the recipient of the 2025–2027 Jane Lombard Prize for Art and Social Justice. Finalists for the prize are named the Jane Lombard Fellows.Â
Launched to recognize the center’s 20th anniversary, the Jane Lombard Prize for Art and Social Justice honors an artist or group of artists who has taken great risks to advance social justice in profound and visionary ways. International in scope, the biennial prize is awarded for a particular project’s long-term impact, boldness, and artistic excellence.
The prize initiative unfolds across various platforms and over an extended period of time. It serves as a catalyst for activities that illuminate the important role of the arts in society, and strengthen teaching and learning at The New School in art and design, social science, philosophy, and civic engagement. More than a single moment of recognition, it represents a long-term commitment to the question of how the arts advance social justice, how we speak of, evaluate and teach such work.
An exhibition of the winning project, a conference, integration into classes, and a publication featuring select nominated projects complement a cash award and short-term New York City residency for the honoree. In the spirit of the center’s twenty-year history, the prize provides the opportunity for an ongoing public conversation on art and social justice as a global issue that engages audiences in New York City, nationally and around the world.
This event is part of the Vera List Center Forum 2025: Matter of Intelligence.
Presented by Vera List Center for Art and Politics at Schools of Public Engagement.
This program will feature ASL interpretation. Wheelchair or mobility device seating is available. Please let us know if you need any accommodation when registering or by emailing vlc@newschool.edu.
Starr Foundation Hall is on the lower level of 63 Fifth Avenue and is accessible by elevator. There are accessible restrooms on that floor and an all gender restroom available on the 1st/3rd floors.
The nearest accessible subway stations are the 14 St-Union Sq L, N, Q, R, W and the 14 St/6 Av F, M, uptown only; and the 6th Ave L is fully accessible.
The Vera List Center tries to share its programs as widely as possible, which means recording our programming and making it available on the Vera List Center and The New School websites. By attending the event, you consent to photography, audio recording, video recording and its/their release, publication, or exhibition. You can view past Vera List Center events at veralistcenter.org/events/past.
Committed to amplifying diverse voices, The New School offers more than a thousand public programs and events each year, providing fresh perspectives and unique learning opportunities. These lectures, exhibitions, concerts, and performances feature prominent and emerging artists, activists, and thought leaders.
Â
To receive updates about public programs and events at The New School, subscribe to our mailing list. Visit our Livestream and YouTube channels to watch select events live and recorded.
Launched to recognize the center’s 20th anniversary, the Jane Lombard Prize for Art and Social Justice (formerly known as the Vera List Center Prize for Art and Politics) honors an artist or group of artists who has taken great risks to advance social justice in profound and visionary ways. International in scope, the biennial prize is awarded for a particular project’s long-term impact, boldness, and artistic excellence.
The prize initiative unfolds across various platforms and over an extended period of time. It serves as a catalyst for activities that illuminate the important role of the arts in society, and strengthen teaching and learning at The New School in art and design, social science, philosophy, and civic engagement. More than a single moment of recognition, it represents a long-term commitment to the question of how the arts advance social justice, how we speak of, evaluate and teach such work.
An exhibition of the winning project, a conference, integration into classes, and a publication featuring select nominated projects complement a cash award and short-term New York City residency for the honoree. In the spirit of the center’s twenty-year history, the prize provides the opportunity for an ongoing public conversation on art and social justice as a global issue that engages audiences in New York City, nationally and around the world.
In gratitude to Jane Lombard, whose generous donations to The Vera List Center make possible the continuation of the aforementioned efforts and initiatives, the Vera List Center Prize for Art and Politics was renamed the Jane Lombard Prize for Art and Social Justice, starting with the 2018–2020 biennial prize cycle.
Ruth Estévez is a writer, performer, and curator focusing on the development of new artistic fields of knowledge through research and interdisciplinary initiatives. She is currently the co-director of the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. Previously, Estévez was the Artistic Director of Amant, an alternative art space in Brooklyn (2020–23), Senior Curator of the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University (2018–20), and co-curator of the 34th São Paulo Biennial (2021). She organized the performance festival Idiorrhythmic at MACBA in Barcelona (2017–20) and was the gallery director and curator of REDCAT/Calarts (2012–18). Estévez co-founded LIGA-Space for Architecture and Spatial Practices in Mexico City (2010–). She holds a BFA in Video and Performance by the UPV at the Basque Country and an MA in Art History from Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM). She is currently finishing her PhD in Art, Education, and Research at the University of Castilla–La Mancha, Cuenca, focused on the aesthetic, social, and political shifts of collective creation in performance art, architecture, and theater.