Tyler School of Art and Architecture alumna Jennifer Packer (BFA ‘07) has been selected as the  2020 Greenfield Prize recipient from a competitive pool of well-established artists. The prestigious prize consists of a $30,000 commission and a residency at the Hermitage Artist Retreat. Packer joins a distinguished group of artists to receive this prize, including another Tyler alum, Trenton Doyle Hancock (MFA ‘00).

With this commission, Packer intends to widen the scope of her practice through collage, photography, screen printing and drawing. In her proposal, Packer stated she aims to address “what it means to recognize and maintain, within this larger Black monolith, the individual lives and stories that connect us, make us feel grounded and present.'' Her proposal will be supported through research into black art history and culture in Florida, where the Hermitage Artist Retreat is located.

Dan Byers, director of the Carpenter Center for Visual Art at Harvard University, one of the jurors for the prize, noted that Packer is an incredibly skilled painter whose work is “political and intimate at the same time.” The Hermitage Artist Retreat goes even further, calling her “one of the greatest painters of her generation.”

Jennifer Packer has exhibited nationally and across the globe. She is the recipient of several awards and fellowships, including the Artist-in-Residence at the Studio Museum in Harlem.