The 2025 Artist Grant Recipients

PAAM proudly presents an exhibition of works by the recipients of our 2025 Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed Grant for artists: Chris Clamp of Charlotte, NC; Sarah Lubin of Brighton, MA; and Delvin Lugo of New York, NY.

After a review of over 700 applications, the recipients were selected by Sayantan Mukhopadhyay, Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Portland Museum of Art; Dr. Denise Rogers, Professor of Art History at San Diego Mesa College; and Jess Van Nostrand, Director of Public Engagement and Curatorial Strategies at the Morris Museum.

The recipients, who are American painters over the age of 45, are chosen annually from hundreds of applicants, recognized for their talent, as well their ability to greatly benefit from this grant. The grant intends to promote public awareness and a commitment to American art, and interest in artists who lack adequate recognition.

THE RECIPIENTS

Chris Clamp, Charlotte, NC

Chris Clamp is a contemporary realist still life painter. Growing up in Leesville, SC, he spent much of his time combing through odds and ends in his grandfather’s barn, divining stories about their importance and meaning. Now, he sources all manner of vintage objects with nostalgic resonance to compose universal narratives in his own work. His deft abilities with oil paint elevate his subjects beyond pure kitsch and into portrait-like territory. Clamp lives and works in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife, Lauren, and cats, Thiebaud and Morisot.

My recent work continues my exploration of the commonplace object, now as a vehicle to somewhere greater. Objects, no matter how ordinary, hold a magic and a power that can transport us to different times and realms, depending on how they are arranged, used or treated. My new paintings showcase this phenomenon through isolation and dynamic composition. When I consider these paintings, the phrase “far from home,” comes to mind. For me, it refers to the effect nostalgia can have. Memories can comfort and they can also emphasize how much distance there is between then and now. My hope is always that my paintings will cause viewers to engage with their own memories and perhaps be transported.

Sarah Lubin, Brighton, MA 

Each of the paintings I have included depicts a place and time as a confluence of elements, both observed and invented, that emerge out of the painting process. Figures are inextricably linked to the moments they inhabit. The spaces both contain and connect. While there is a sense of comfort, vitality is generated through the interaction of color and the contrast of flat shapes with sculptural elements, particularly faces and hands, evoking a story.

Figures, color, and pattern serve as the armature for each scene. The starting point is often a specific pose or a posture. A rug, a shadow, or an arm activates the space but also evokes a particular narrative. The composition develops through a constant negotiation among formal elements, sometimes creating compartments of focus, or frames, that can illuminate or obscure.

Sarah Lubin received her MFA in Painting, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston, MA; a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Painting from Brandeis University; her MA in Art History, Columbia University and her BA in Art History from McGill University. She is the recipient of the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant; an 100 Painters of Tomorrow by Thames and Hudson; and a Festival of the Arts Grant from Brandeis University. Solo exhibitions at  Nancy Margolis Gallery, New York, NY; Arts Research Collaborative, Lowell, MA; AVA Gallery, Lebanon, NH; and SCATV Gallery, Somerville, MA. Selected group exhibitions include The Painting Center, New York, NY; My Pet Ram, New York, NY; Alice Gauvin Gallery, Portland, ME; Galleri Ramfjord, Oslo, Norway; VOLTA NYC Art Fair, Zinc Contemporary, New York, Seattle Art Fair, Zinc Contemporary, Seattle, WA; Gallery 360, Northeastern University, Boston, MA; Geoffrey Young Gallery, Great Barrington, MA; and the Arts Research Collaborative, Lowell, MA; amongst others. Lubin has taught at Sarah Lawrence College,Northern Essex Community College, UMass Lowell, Massart, and Fisher College.

Delvin Lugo, New York, NY

I create narrative figurative paintings centering on the themes of home and intimacy within LGBTQ+ community. These works offer scenes where friends are engaged in poetry reading, dancing, and a lover’s embrace. I’m interested in the tension between feelings of belonging and alienation that revolve around the notion of home.

Compositions of multiple images are collaged and sketched before transferred to oil on canvas. The vibrant color palette draws inspiration from the house colors found throughout the Dominican Republic’s countryside. Realistically rendered figures set against two dimensional surroundings creates a dynamic space within the work.

Most recently I’m painting directly on vintage linens such as tablecloths, pillow cases, and doilies. At closer proximity, details of the embroidery weave their way through the painted figures making the surface appear embossed. In some works the textiles hang off the stretched bars mimicking a tablecloth or curtains becoming sculptural and essential for contextualizing the figures depicted.

Through these paintings I set out to update the family portrait by humanizing my subjects and legitimizing queer homes. Making them visible and affirming their worth is crucial in today’s fragmented and polarized cultural reality.

Delvin Lugo (b.1977, Dominican Republic) is a New York City-based artist whose work explores themes of home, intimacy, and identity through narrative figurative painting. He began his studies at the Maine College of Art before moving to New York to complete his education at the School of Visual Arts.) Upon completing art school, fashion styling became his creative outlet. Being surrounded by many creative designers inspired him to create and paint again. Delvin is a 2024 Bronx Art Museum AIM Fellow and also a current LMCC Workspace resident. He is grant finalist of the Hopper Prize, and his work has been featured in New American Painting issue #152 and ESSE Magazine #107. His work has been acquired by Microsoft Art Collection, Fidelity Investments Art Collection, and private collections. Lugo’s work will be featured in the 2026 Bronx Museum of Art AIM Biennial Exhibition.

THE GRANT

The Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed Grant is awarded annually to under-recognized American painters over the age of 45 who demonstrate financial need. The mission of this grant is to promote public awareness of and a commitment to American art, and to encourage interest in painters who lack adequate recognition.

Recipients are selected by a diverse group of jurors—artists, curators, professors, writers—based on the strength of the materials submitted in this application as well as the perceived adherence to the spirit of the grant: to assist under recognized artists. Awards include a cash grant, ranging from $5,000 to $36,000 and an exhibition at PAAM.

The late Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed studied with Hans Hofmann in both New York and Provincetown. They were very active at PAAM as artist members and instructors in the summer school, and they served on a variety of committees throughout their 50 years on Cape Cod. Orlowsky, in particular, was sensitive to the challenges artists face, especially those working against the mainstream or outside of popular schools of art. Her desire to provide financial support to mature artists through this generous endowment gift speaks to her passionate commitment to art for art’s sake and art created regardless of the demands and whims of the marketplace.

The next round will take place in 2027 with an application deadline of April 1, 2027. For more information and to apply, please go to www.paam.org/grant.