Doris Duke Artist Award recipients Ambrose Akinmusire, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Stefon Harris perform in New York City in 2023.
Creative Labor Creative Conditions
What does abundant creativity require?
Art is essential to society, revealing possibility in the world and connecting us to one another. Yet those who make art—artists—are often overlooked, and their labor is taken for granted.
We believe that artists deserve the same protections and support as other workers. Through partnership, knowledge building, and direct support for artists, we’re building a more sustainable creative ecosystem where artists and creativity thrive.
Doris Duke artist Awards
Since 2012, the Doris Duke Artist Awards have granted over $40 million to leading contemporary dance, jazz, and theater artists. As the largest prize of its kind in the United States, the awards uniquely recognize artists as both individuals and creative workers.
When artists thrive we all thrive
The Doris Duke Artist Awards are more than an award—they are an emblem of the role of artists in protecting a free and open society. These artists exemplify our commitment to the essential investments our society must make in sustaining creative labor.
Sam Gill
President and CEO, Doris Duke Foundation
Explore MoreExplore More
Photo by Chris Cameron/MANCC.
Kinetic Light: RES{is}T
Created by the disability arts ensemble Kinetic Light, this installation for the Doris Duke Center in New York uses spatial haptics to invite rest while also invoking labor.
What we’re reading
Learn more about the doris duke foundation
Explore how we’re building a more creative, equitable and sustainable future.