Vincent receives Carol Hepper Foundation Award

South Dakota State University junior Savanna Vincent has received the 2023 Carol Hepper Award in studio art. Vincent is a studio art major specializing in printmaking and ceramics with a certificate in art history.

Hepper was a 1975 SDSU graduate born in McLaughlin. Discovered by Guggenheim curators in the early 1980s for her unique sculptures, her work is in the collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim in New York. She died in April 2021.

To receive the Carol Hepper Foundation Award recipients must be a junior studio art major specializing in either ceramics, painting, printmaking or sculpture and submit a portfolio of five works and a proposal demonstrating a clear plan for the award. Candidates must also focus on achievement to date and have the potential for the development of a unique vision in the visual arts. Lastly, they must “have the potential for success as a visual artist indicated through quality and creativity of their portfolio, a curiosity for exploring diverse practices that can enhance and bring unique meaning to their work and possessing a persistent discipline to the ongoing development of their work.”

A judging panel of faculty from the School of Design were joined by a visiting juror to select an awardee. This year’s juror was Regan Golden. Golden’s artwork has been exhibited in solo and group shows both nationally and internationally, and has received grants and fellowships from The Jerome Foundation, The National Science Foundation, The Joan Mitchell Foundation and The Core Program at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston.

“What stood out was the level of engagement with the materials across media,” stated Golden. “I was impressed that they were able to select just the right media to powerfully capture particular forms or imagery."

Vincent, a De Smet native, was ‘shocked’ to have received the reward. She hopes to use the funds to attend a figure sculpting course at a four-week workshop at the Florence Academy of Arts in Italy. 

“I am extremely grateful that I was selected for this award and that Carol Hepper is helping me advance my art career in several ways.”