Liu Shiming Art Foundation awards 2025 grants to early-career artists

The Liu Shiming Art Foundation has awarded its 2025 artist grants to five early-career visual artists working in the United States and abroad.

The recipients are U.S.-based artists Manami Ishimura, Shirin Towfiq, Blas Isasi and Sang woo Yoo, and Ghana-based artist Rita Mawuena Benissan. Each artist will receive a $5,000 grant to support new work.

The annual grants support visual artists in the first decade of their careers. The foundation said the program reflects the late Chinese sculptor Liu Shiming’s commitment to mentoring younger artists and his time teaching at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing.

The foundation said nearly 1,400 artists from more than 90 countries applied this year, a 45% increase from the previous grant cycle. Applicants were required to have at least two years of professional experience and no more than 10.

The recipients were selected by a committee of artists, curators and scholars, including Hank Willis Thomas, Lilly Wei, Laura Blanco, Fran Kaufman and Erin L. McCutcheon.

The Liu Shiming Art Foundation was established in 2021 and is based in New York. In addition to artist grants, it organizes exhibitions and supports scholarships and exchange programs focused on contemporary art.