The UOVO Prize

    Since 2020, the Brooklyn Museum has recognized the work of emerging Brooklyn-based artists with the UOVO Prize. Awarded annually, the prize includes a solo presentation at the Museum, a 50-by-50-foot mural on the facade of UOVO’s facility in Bushwick, and a $25,000 unrestricted cash grant.

    Melissa Joseph is the fifth recipient of the UOVO Prize. Her public art installation Melissa Joseph: Tender is on view June 6–October 2025.

    Previous UOVO Prize winners are John Edmonds, Baseera Khan, Oscar yi Hou, and Suneil Sanzgiri.

    The UOVO Prize is made possible by

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    Melissa Joseph. From <i>Tender</i> (detail), 2025. Needle-felted wool and recycled sari silk on industrial felt. © Melissa Joseph. Courtesy of the artist. (Photo: Daniel Greer)
    “The UOVO Prize enabled people to see me, but it gave me space to see me, too. It gave me the support I needed to witness my creative abilities. And that is incommensurable.”
    Baseera Khan

    Past exhibitions

    Explore all UOVO Prize exhibitions

    UOVO exhibitions in the news

    Suneil Sanzgiri by Murtaza Vali

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    Queer artist Oscar yi Hou blends Asian and American imagery to explore ideas of migration, identity and belonging

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    Oscar yi Hou and Russell Tovey on Kinks, Cranes, and Cowboys

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    Baseera Khan’s Fever-Induced Works About Home

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    Baseera Khan Uses Their Body as a Weapon

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    Inside John Edmonds’ Solo Exhibit ‘A Sidelong Glance’ at Brooklyn Museum

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    John Edmonds and the Complex Role of the African Art Object

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    The Lingering Shadow of Portuguese Colonization

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