Boston: Announcing the 2025 Fay Chandler Emerging Art Exhibition Award Winners

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~ The City Hall Galleries are currently showcasing a diverse collection of contemporary artworks by local emerging artists. This exhibition, known as the Fay Chandler Emerging Art Exhibition, is a celebration of the up-and-coming talent in Boston's creative sector. Running until January 30, 2026, this show is inspired by the story of Fay Chandler, a Boston philanthropist and arts advocate who began her artistic journey later in life. She serves as a symbol of inspiration and perseverance for the community.

Thanks to the generosity of the Fay Chandler family, six emerging artists featured in the exhibition have been awarded cash prizes. These prizes were juried by local art professionals and aim to support and recognize the talent of these artists.

The Best in Show award, worth $3,000, was given to Miguel Caba from Jamaica Plain. His artwork titled "Mothers / Gardens" is a series of acrylic paintings on wood that depict photos sent to him by his mother and grandmother from their homes in Canada and the Philippines. Using a laser engraver, Caba was able to mechanically reproduce these images with all their visual artifacts, giving viewers a glimpse into his family's world through their own lenses. The paintings are arranged to form boxes inspired by Balikbayan boxes - packages sent by Filipino workers abroad to their loved ones back home as reminders of love despite being physically far away.

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Pam Goncalves from Dorchester received the 50+ award worth $2,000 for her artwork "Ritual Broom." Goncalves is a Boston-born artist whose work explores memory, ancestry, and the endurance of Black and Brown communities. Her installation pieces use organic and found materials such as wood, feathers, books, and rust to honor untold histories and spiritual traditions. The "Ritual Broom" is wrapped in indigo cloth and adorned with cowrie shells and feathers - serving both as a household tool for cleansing and a sacred vessel for honoring memory, spirit, and tradition.

Ava Chapman from Wellesley was awarded the New Voice prize worth $2,000 for her artwork "Female Poets of Antiquity." This piece was developed from the question of what body of information could fit in a miniature book. Chapman chose to focus on the small number of known female poets from Ancient Greece and Rome, highlighting the lack of information about them. Her book presents only the information that is certain, shedding light on the amount of speculation that surrounds these poets' lives.

The jurors also selected three artists for their Juror's Choice awards, each worth $500. Yanna Marie Orcel from Saugus received this award for her collage titled "Mother's Garden." This piece celebrates the maternal love that exudes from Black mothers while questioning historical imagery surrounding Black motherhood. Marisa McCarthy from Andover was recognized for her artwork "Peineta," which combines traditional Spanish peineta hair comb design with Indian mehndi patterns to create a multicultural heirloom. Andrew Zou from Jamaica Plain received the final Juror's Choice award for his photograph titled "Home Home of Andrew from China." This photograph explores themes of homesickness, displacement, and belonging as a Chinese artist living in Boston.

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The jurors responsible for selecting these talented artists were Luisa Castellanos, Art Consultant at Powell Fine Art Advisory; Amor Diaz-Campos, Curatorial & Development Coordinator for the Boston Public Art Triennial; and Gabrielle Domb, art historian and former Executive Director at the Brookline Arts Center.

The photographs featured in this article were taken by Ally Schmaling (@allyschmalingphotography). The City Hall Galleries invite everyone to come and experience this diverse collection of contemporary artworks by local emerging artists until January 30, 2026.

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