The Swell Gallery of San Francisco Art Institute will be home to The Society of 23 Prize. This award is presented to a Master of Fine Arts candidate who is preparing to graduate in May. While there is no monetary award, the highly esteemed recognition of The Prize provides the ten nominees and subsequent winner with a sudden burst of public fame and projected career longevity. The media coverage of The Prize event has ultimately created much controversy, including spheres of influence within the walls of SFAI and ultimately, the question – is it art?

As the site for The Prize exhibition, the Swell Gallery will be filled with artwork from each nominee. Nominees, and The Prize recipient, were selected based on artwork exhibited in previous semesters that may or may not be the artist’s selected artwork displayed at the Swell for The Prize exhibition. The Prize artwork spans a variety of media including painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, installation, video and performance.