Todd Samara Art Award Info Session
Join us at the Neighborhood Print Studio on Monday, October 19th from 6-7 pm either in person or online to learn more about the Todd Samara Art Award and how to apply. We’ll give you an overview of the award and answer your questions. The submission deadline to apply for this $2,500 award is October 25th. We’ll record this session and share it in the next newsletter.
The Todd Samara Art Fund Award
Now in its ninth year, the Todd Samara Art Fund Award supports artists working across all disciplines, including visual arts, music, performance, new media, and literary arts. The $2,500 award is open to emerging and established artists, art educators, and curators proposing a City of Kingston–based project. Applicants must live or work in the City of Kingston. One project will be chosen.
The funded project must include a strong element of community engagement or public participation, with particular consideration given to a project that serves underserved communities and/or provides educational opportunities for under-resourced youth.
Applicants should submit:
- A brief project description (up to 250 words) How does your project contribute to the community, either by helping, engaging, or building.
- How you will use the award funds
- Description of your artistic practice
- A one-page CV
- 5 images and/or video links of completed artwork. Images should be 1500px on the largest side.
If selected, you will be invited to give either an artist talk, exhibition or other engagement showcasing the work that you did.
Applications will be reviewed based on originality, quality of execution, professionalism, and the project’s potential for meaningful community impact and participation.
Deadline for Submissions: Sunday October 25
About the Todd Samara Art Fund Award
The Todd Samara Art Fund Award was created by the family and friends of Todd Samara (1943-2020) in 2018 to preserve his legacy as an artist. For over 30 years, Todd lived and painted in Kingston’s Rondout neighborhood, translating its hilly streets, tight rows of 19th-century gable-roofed houses, bridges and panoramic river views into poetic visions characterized by simplified, textured forms and rich, glowing color. In 2017 Todd was diagnosed with dementia and placed in long-term care. In deciding how to deal with the hundreds of paintings and drawings Todd left behind, the Samara family arranged for an auction to be held to raise funds that would then be used to benefit other artists in Kingston. The family felt this would be a great way to keep Todd’s presence alive in the community, which played such an important part in his work. The auction was held in November 2018 and raised over $30,000, which has been invested with the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley. The fund is administered by the Midtown Kingston Arts District (MKAD), and a committee was formed to oversee an annual arts award generated from the fund’s interest. Previous award winners are The Matter Digest (2019), visual artist Patti Gibbons (2020), musician Adriana Tampasis (2021), photographer Benjamin Eichert (2022), filmmaker Jess Costa (2023), artists Erin Dougherty and Kaya Keller (2024) and multimedia artist Sui Jenneris (2025). For more information visit toddsamara.com
Photo by Nancy Donskoj
2025 Award Winner
Sui Jenneris
Multimedia Artist
2024 Award Winners
Erin Dougherty and Kaya Keller
The Roadside Rat Museum
2023 Award Winner
Jess Costa
Filmmaker
2022 Award Winner
Ben Eichert
Photographer
2022 Special Citation
Felix Oliveri
Mixed Media Artist
2021 Award Winner
Adriana Tampasis
Musician, poet, filmmaker
2020 Award Winner
Patti Gibbons
A widely exhibited Kingston artist and art educator.
2019 Award Winner
The Matter Digest
A graphic newsletter keyed to the local community.
