HUDGENS PRIZE
The Hudgens Prize, intended to elevate the arts in Georgia, is one of the nation’s most coveted and lucrative awards. The Hudgens Prize, which began in 2010, offers a cash award of $50,000 and an opportunity for the winner to have their work displayed for three months in a solo exhibition at the Hudgens Center.
Sculptor Olu Amoda was the 2022 Hudgens Prize recipient. His solo exhibition is currently on view in the Fowler and Kistner galleries, through October 28, 2023.
The competition for the Hudgens Prize is open to anyone 18 and older. Click HERE to read more about applying.
OUR STAFF
2022 WINNER:
OLU AMODA
An exhibition by renowned sculptor Olu Amoda, winner of the 2022 Hudgens Prize, will open Saturday, Aug. 19, at the Fowler Gallery of the Hudgens Center for Art and Learning.
Amoda's show is titled "Scavenging and Scanning: Sculptural Exploration of the Earth's Belly." The opening will be Aug. 19 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and the exhibition runs until Oct. 28.
“We are so pleased to introduce Olu and his work to our patrons at The Hudgens,” said Laura Ballance, executive director of the Hudgens Center. “He is an emerging artist with a unique style, and we believe our visitors are going to truly enjoy this exhibition.”
Amoda is a Nigerian-born sculptor, muralist, furniture designer and multimedia artist who is best known for using discarded consumer products such as rusty nails, metal plates, bolts, pipes and rods to create sculptural figures, flora and animals to highlight a variety of socio-political and cultural issues.
“I am interested in the former lives of the objects I use and in the new meanings they take on when they are brought together,” Amoda said.
Amoda graduated with a degree in Sculpture from Auchi Polytechnic, Nigeria, and received a Master’s Degree in Fine Art from Georgia Southern University in Statesboro. He is currently based in Alpharetta.
Amoda won the 2022 Hudgens prize, which carries a $50,000 cash award, one of the nation’s largest art awards, as well as an invitation for a solo exhibition. It is open only to Georgia residents.