The Gibbes Museum of Art is proud to announce Demond Melancon as the 2024 winner of the 1858 Prize for Contemporary Southern Art. Born in 1978 and raised in New Orleans, Melancon is a self-taught artist who works solely with a needle and thread to sew glass beads onto canvas. He began this practice in 1992 after becoming involved in the Black Masking Culture of New Orleans. In his role as Big Chief, Melancon is known for creating massive suits featuring intricate, hand-sewn beadwork that reveal a collective visual narrative.
In 2017, he pioneered an emerging contemporary art practice, utilizing the same beading techniques he has refined over the past three decades within the Black Masking Culture. Melancon will be awarded a $10,000 cash prize and recognized at the Society 1858 Amy P. Coy Forum scheduled for Feb. 7, 2025. Honorable mentions go to Carlie Trosclair and Ato Ribeiro.
Traditionally, on Mardi Gras, Black Maskers emerge from their homes to the beating of drums and tambourines to parade their way through the streets and confront each other in ceremonial battle. The Black Masking Culture of New Orleans (also referred to as the Mardi Gras Indians) represents a classic example of a hidden culture quietly serving the spiritual needs and interests of a tight-knit community.
“We’re proud to honor Demond and his unique glass beadwork, which is shaping the future of contemporary art,” says Angela Mack, president and CEO of the Gibbes Museum of Art. “Established to honor a living artist whose work contributes to a new understanding of the arts in the South, the 1858 Prize award has been bestowed on 16 Southern artists. This year, we are honored to spotlight Demond’s talent and look forward to witnessing his continued contributions to the world of art."
Melancon’s works often reflect untold stories from the past, honoring Black subjects who have historically been excluded from the artistic canon while challenging stereotypical representations of Black identity. His deep interest in visual storytelling and redefining the traditions of portraiture enhances the potency of his art. As one of the few artists to pioneer the use of glass beads as an accepted medium in contemporary art, Melancon reconsiders dominant narratives to deliberately reposition historically overlooked subjects and reimagine how Black individuals are portrayed. Melancon's work has been showcased in notable exhibitions, including those at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art in Charleston, S.C. and the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art in Brooklyn, N.Y. His art is part of several prestigious collections, such as the International African American Museum and the Toledo Museum of Art. In 2023, he was honored as a Joan Mitchell Fellow by the Joan Mitchell Foundation.
Established in 2007, the 1858 Prize for Contemporary Southern Art awards $10,000 to a living artist whose work contributes to a new understanding of the arts in the South. Presented annually, the prize recognizes an artist whose work demonstrates the highest level of achievement in any media. Entering the 16th year, this Prize has awarded over $170,000 to artists as well as implemented a new initiative to display one work by the Prize winner in the museum’s Mary Jackson Modern and Contemporary Art Gallery for one year. The Museum has also been fortunate enough to acquire artworks by Prize winners and finalists through the years to diversify and expand the contemporary permanent collection. Past winners include Sherrill Roland (2023), Raheleh Filsoofi (2022), Stephanie J. Woods (2021), Stephen L. Hayes (2020), Donté K. Hayes (2019), Leo Twiggs (2018), Bo Bartlett (2017), Alicia Henry (2016), Deborah Luster (2015), Sonya Clark (2014), John Westmark (2012), Patrick Dougherty (2011) and Radcliffe Bailey (2010).
For more information, visit www.1858prize.org.