Announcing the 2025 21c St. Louis Artadia Awardee

21c Museum Hotels, a multi-venue contemporary art museum and award-winning hospitality company, and Artadia, a non-profit grantmaker and nationwide community of visual artists, curators, and patrons, are thrilled to announce the 2025 21c St. Louis Artadia Awardee: Jen Everett.

The 2025 21c St. Louis Artadia Award application was open to visual artists working in any visual media, at any stage in their career, who have been living and working within St. Louis City (MO), St. Louis County (MO), St. Charles County (MO), St. Clair County (IL), or Madison County (IL) for a minimum of two years. We received 197 eligible applications, with 40% of the applicants identifying as African, African American or Black, Multiracial, Arab, Arab American, Asian or Asian American, Latina/e/o/x, Middle Eastern, or North African; 52.3% as women, gender nonconforming, or nonbinary; and 48.2% as emerging artists.

The Award decision was reached after an extensive two-tiered jurying process conducted by Erin Dziedzic, Independent Curator, and Diya Vij, Curator, Creative Time. This year’s finalists for the Award included Juan William Chávez and Damon Davis. All three finalists held virtual studio visits with the juror panel. 

“It was an honor to serve as a juror for the St. Louis Artadia Award. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with Artadia and with Diya Vij, and to engage with such a talented group of artists creating vital work in and for the Midwest,” shared Erin Dziedzic. “Each contributes to the St. Louis community in meaningful ways through distinct and compelling practices.”

The jurying process offered insights into St. Louis’s vibrant arts scene. “It was an honor to be a part of Artadia’s St. Louis award jury, a selection process that offered a glimpse into the dynamic art scene of the city,” said Diya Vij. “All three artists are truly embedded in St. Louis while engaging in pressing national dialogues, and I’m excited to follow their careers in the years to come.”

Alice Gray Stites, Museum Director and Chief Curator of 21c Museum Hotels, celebrated the selection, “21c congratulates Jen Everett on the 2025 21c Artadia Award. Jen and her fellow finalists, Juan William Chávez and Damon Davis, are to be commended on developing exceptionally compelling, poetic, and relevant studio practices while dedicating their time and talents to nurturing the St Louis community in myriad ways.”

Read the full press release here.