Vanderbilt University Announces 2026 Hamblet Award Recipients

The Department of Art at Vanderbilt University proudly reveals the distinguished recipients of the 2026 Margaret Stonewall Wooldridge Hamblet Award and the Merit Award. Every spring, senior art majors exhibit their thesis projects in Space 204, the contemporary art gallery situated within the E. Bronson Ingram Studio Arts Center.

Participating students have the chance to vie for two prestigious awards facilitated by the Margaret Stonewall Wooldridge Hamblet Endowment. The selection process includes a comprehensive three-part evaluation: a written proposal, an exhibition of artworks, and interactions with an expert panel of jurors. This year’s panel comprises renowned figures in the art world: Neil Callander, Janelle VanderKelen, and John Hitchcock.

2026 Margaret Stonewall Wooldridge Hamblet Award Recipient: $25,000

Between the Lines
Isaac Bevin Boakye

Isaac Bevin Boakye is a multidisciplinary artist hailing from Ghana, currently studying Architecture and the Built Environment alongside Art at Vanderbilt University. His artistic practice delves into the intersection of identity, culture, and memory manifested through spatial forms, incorporating both contemporary and traditional visual languages.

Boakye’s work often investigates themes of movement and daily life. His previous exhibition, Adinkra, held at the Bishop Joseph Johnson Cultural Center in Nashville, emphasized the relevance of Ghanaian Adinkra symbols within modern African culture. His projects intertwine historical and contemporary narratives, creating a holistic, digestible experience.

Exhibition Overview:

Between the Lines is a mixed media installation that envelops viewers in an exploration of a borderless Africa. It features a series of large, interactive posters enhanced with sound and light, depicting fictional yet relatable characters in a geographic future yet to unfold. Boakye envisions this borderless Africa as an interconnected entity, promoting cultural exchange rather than chaos.

This exhibition showcases five digital prints that highlight everyday gestures—carrying, balancing, market exchanges, and more—representing civic rhythm and the ways communities sustain themselves. The images are founded on photographs that, through Afrofuturist and surrealist lenses, convey idealized and dreamlike scenes.

Central to the installation is a sculptural element made from masonite, symbolic of the architectural logic of breeze blocks. Designed to be both structured and permeable, it allows light and shadow to flow. The accompanying soundscape shares stories of characters embodying these gestures, composed and performed by the artist with contributions from volunteers across Africa.

2026 Margaret Stonewall Wooldridge Hamblet Merit Award Recipient: $10,000

When Giants Walked the Earth
Dorothy Chen

Dorothy Chen, an interdisciplinary artist from Los Angeles, California, majors in Studio Art and minors in Digital Fabrication. She has extensive experience in graphic design, working on branding projects for various organizations, including the Wond’ry and the Vanderbilt Museum of Art. In addition to her design endeavors, Chen is an active violinist engaged in musical collaborations across classical and contemporary genres.

Exhibition Overview:

When Giants Walked the Earth examines pivotal concepts from the realms of classical music and architecture. This piece serves as a lens to understand the balance between functionality and expression. In an age dominated by advanced technology, Chen emphasizes that revisiting historical precedents can enhance our comprehension of expressiveness and efficiency in the contemporary landscape. Her work argues that understanding past influences can reshape our interactions and creative processes going forward.

2026 Senior Show Highlights

The exhibition doors of Space 204 were opened on April 10, showcasing the remarkable talents of Vanderbilt University’s graduating studio art majors as part of the Margaret Stonewall Wooldridge Hamblet Senior Thesis exhibitions, titled In No Particular Order.

The exhibiting artists include Cailtin Nitschke, Kira Tannenbaum, Paige Restel, Dorothy Chen, Lin A. Morales, Megan Grosse, Remi Marcus, Rubric Barredo, Izabella Burghardt, and Isaac Bevin Boakye.

This impressive showcase will be accessible to the public until May 8 in Space 204, offering a unique glimpse into the evolving landscape of contemporary art.

Gallery Hours: Monday to Thursday from 10 AM to 4 PM, and Friday from 10 AM to 3:30 PM.
Admission is free and open to all.