Awardee Celebration & Breakfast at NeueHouse


Aliza Shvarts, Ruby Lerner, Kristina Wong, Larissa FastHorse, Colleen Jennings-Roggensack, Raja Feather Kelly, Christine Kuan, and Kelly Heaton. Photos by Brendon Cook/BFA

On October 27, 2021, the Creative Capital Awardee Celebration & Breakfast at NeueHouse welcomed awardees from all over the country to join us at our first in-person gathering in two years. Our hosts Annie Han, Board Chair and 2005 Awardee, Marquise Stillwell, a member of our National Advisory Council, and Christine Kuan, President & Executive Director, gave speeches reflecting on the magnitude of the gathering of so many creative individuals, and how the Creative Capital community, as a whole, was galvanized to support artists to make their most challenging, groundbreaking work.

Christine Kuan announced the launch of Wild Futures: Art, Culture, Impact, the 2023/2024 Creative Capital grant cycle in which artists are encouraged to submit their most “out there” work, including painting, sculpture, dance, theater, and a wide range of forms, so that we can support them making “impossible” artwork possible.

As a testament to the difference Creative Capital’s support makes in artists work, awardee hosts Raja Feather Kelly, Carmelita Tropicana, Larissa FastHorse, and Rachel Chavkin spoke about how receiving the award had changed their lives and their practices from the ground up. Most importantly, they spoke about how Creative Capital funded projects that others didn’t have the daring to support.

Rachel Chavkin speaking at the Awardee Celebration & Breakfast. Photo by Brendon Cook/BFA.


Larissa FastHorse gave a moving speech about a recent event in South Dakota that made her think of the behind-the-scenes work Creative Capital does with artists. As a theatermaker, FastHorse led group sessions with Dakotan youth, people who experienced symptoms of PTSD simply from their everyday lives—situations that were impacted during the pandemic. FastHorse painted a breathtaking picture of the small gathering with these people in an outdoor amphitheater between two hills. The moment, she explained, was not meant for commercial consumption, but nonetheless had a huge impact upon all those involved.

Board member hosts Joe Melillo and Colleen Jennings-Roggensack also spoke about their long history of working with Founding Director & President Ruby Lerner and Creative Capital, and how Creative Capital serves artists at early and catalytic moments in their careers.

Hajoe Moderegger, Michelle Handelman, Kenseth Armstead, and Valerie Tevere. Photo by Brendon Cook/BFA.


We felt honored to be in the same room with phenomenal artists! Fostering this amazing artist-led community is what drives us, and supporting the creation of groundbreaking work is what we do best!