Louisville, KY — August 29, 2025 — South Arts is thrilled to announce that Tabitha Arnold of Tennessee has been named the 2025 Southern Prize for Visual Arts winner, receiving a $25,000 award. The announcement was made during a ceremony at KMAC Contemporary Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky. Florida artist Gonzalo Fuenmayor, the Southern Prize Finalist, was also honored during the ceremony with a $10,000 award.
“We’re thrilled to honor these two remarkable artists as recipients of the Southern Prize for Visual Arts awards,” said Susie Surkamer, South Arts President and CEO. “Since the program’s launch, Southern Prize awards aim to acknowledge, support, and celebrate the highest quality artistic work being created in the American South. That continues to ring true as we celebrate both of these artists, whose distinct visual practices draw on the past to confront contemporary realities, weaving together history, culture, and identity while challenging common narratives among the South.”
Established in 2017, the Southern Prize and State Fellowships program was created to bring more visibility to the artistic talent and breadth among the Southeastern region. The program was expanded in 2024 to support Literary Arts, the program annually awards a total of $160,000 to nine visual artists and nine literary artists from each state in South Arts’ region: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Alongside the State Fellowship award, each selected artist has a chance to compete for the Southern Prize awards.
2025 Alabama Fellow for Visual Arts Loretta Pettway Bennett | 2025 Florida Fellow & Southern Prize Finalist for Visual Arts Gonzalo Fuenmayor | 2025 Georgia Fellow for Visual Arts Masela Nkolo |
2025 Kentucky Fellow for Visual Arts Travis Townsend | 2025 Louisiana Fellow for Visual Arts Edgar Cano | 2025 Mississippi Fellow for Visual Arts Stephen Phillips |
2025 North Carolina Fellow for Visual Arts Lydia C. Thompson | 2025 South Carolina Fellow for Visual Arts Felicia Greenlee | 2025 Tennessee Fellow & Southern Prize Winner for Visual Arts Tabitha Arnold |
From the cohort of State Fellows for Visual Arts announced in Spring 2025, the Southern Prize Winner and Finalist were chosen by a national jury for their artistic excellence, showcasing the diversity of creative expression in the region. In addition to cash awards, both honorees will participate in public events and present their work in a touring exhibition alongside other State Fellows for Visual Arts. The exhibition debuted this evening at the KMAC Contemporary Art Museum, and will continue traveling to venues across the region throughout the season.
The Southern Prize and State Fellowships for Visual Arts program is supported by the Windgate Foundation, the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation, Southern First Bank, the Warner Fund, and individual donors. For more information about the Southern Prize and State Fellowship programs, application eligibility, and additional opportunities from South Arts, please visit southarts.org.
About South Arts
South Arts advances Southern vitality through the arts. The nonprofit regional arts organization was founded in 1975 to build on the South’s unique heritage and enhance the public value of the arts. South Arts’ work responds to the arts environment and cultural trends with a regional perspective. South Arts offers an annual portfolio of activities designed to support the success of artists and arts providers in the South, address the needs of Southern communities through impactful arts-based programs, and celebrate the excellence, innovation, value and power of the arts of the South. For more information, visit www.southarts.org.
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