Trellis Art Fund Announces 2026 Recipients of $100,000 Milestone Grant
2June 18, 2026
TheTrellis Art Fundhas named the dozen artists making up its 2026 Milestone Grant cohort. Each will receive an unrestricted grant of $100,000, disbursed in two installments over a two-year period. Among this year’s recipients are sculptor and installation artists Kelly Akashi; performance artist Ei Arakawa-Nash, who is representing Japan at this year’s Venice Biennale; conceptual artist Alex Da Corte; and multidisciplinary artist Candice Lin.
Established in 2024 and open to those living in or eligible to work in the United States, the award aims to encourage artists in their practice. Severalgrantsare set aside for artists who are also caregivers to children, seniors, and other family members in need. Grantees will additionally receive career-development assistance, including workshops, and will be invited to a retreat hosted by Trellis.
To arrive at the 2026 cohort, the private art fund invited a diverse group of artists and art world professionals to nominate artists to apply for the award, garnering seventy-five submissions from artists working across a variety of media and disciplines. Those making up the original applicant pool represented nearly every region of the US, as well as Puerto Rico, with roughly 78 percent self-identifying as artists of color, and more than 40 percent as LGBTQIA+. The winners, chosen by an anonymous five-person panel, range in age from forty-two to eighty-two and were selected based on their demonstrated commitment to their respective practices, their unique contributions to their fields, and the consistently high quality of their work.
“We are once again humbled and impressed by the incredible pool of artists who were nominated to apply for our grants,” said Trellis Art Fund director Emily Davidson in a statement. “The jury deliberated to assemble a cohort who vary in vision and experience. We celebrate each of these extraordinary artists for the indelible impact they continue to make on their area of focus, and are thrilled to see how these funds carry them forward.”
A full list of grantees is below. An asterisk indicates that the artist is a caregiver.
Kelly Akashi (b. 1983) Los AngelesEi Arakawa-Nash* (b. 1977) Los AngelesCharles Atlas (b. 1949) New YorkLisa Alvarado* (b. 1982) ChicagoA.K. Burns (b. 1975) Stone Ridge, NYAlex Da Corte (b. 1980) PhiladelphiaMichiko Itatani (b. 1948) ChicagoCandice Lin* (b. 1979) Altadena, CAMiguel Luciano (b. 1972) New YorkSenga Nengudi (b. 1943) Colorado Springs, COTT Takemoto (b. 1967) Daly City, CARodrigo Valenzuela* (b. 1982) Los Angeles