Alumna Yuri Yuan '21 Awarded Elizabeth Greenshields Grant

By
Catherine Fisher
March 01, 2022

Alumna Yuri Yuan ‘21 was recently announced as a recipient of her second grant from the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation. 

Based in Montréal, Canada, this award is one of the most prestigious grants for early career artists. It was created in 1955 by Charles Glass Greenshields in memory of his mother, Elizabeth. Each grant goes to an emerging artist working in a representational mode. This well-regarded award has launched many young artists’ careers. 

Yuan received her first grant in the Fall of 2019 which allowed her to attend Columbia School of the Arts for her MFA by covering tuition costs. In October of 2021, she reapplied for the grant to cover the costs of studio rent and art supplies.  

Commenting on the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Yuan said, “I am very grateful for the generous grants I received which allowed me to enjoy a world-class education at Columbia and transition from a graduate student to a full-time studio artist in New York.”

painting of a seated swimmer

Yuan was born in Harbin, China and raised in Singapore. She received a BFA from Art Institute of Chicago and an MFA from Columbia University.Yuan was a recipient of the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation scholarship in 2020.Yuan currently lives and works in New York, NY. Yuan has exhibited work at Center for the Arts, Umbria, Italy; Make Room Los Angeles; and Asia Art Center,Taipei. Yuan recently had solo shows at Alexander Berggruen, New York, and Make Room Gallery in Los Angeles .