BFA Student Lexi Fujita Wins National Emerging Artists for Impact Award

BFA Studio Art student Lexi Fujita, whose work was developed at New York University, has been named one of twenty winners of the inaugural Emerging Artists for Impact Award, presented by the International Art Project Foundation.

The winners were selected on artistic merit by an independent six-member jury chaired by Helmut Schuster, from a national applicant pool spanning 67 colleges and universities in the United States and abroad. The inaugural Award’s theme is Transformation. The twenty winners represent nineteen institutions nationwide and receive a combined $32,000 in awards, including nineteen awards of $1,500 and a $3,500 Grand Prize, awarded to Eva Foldy of Virginia Commonwealth University. Awards are paid regardless of whether the artwork sells.

Lexi Fujita receives a $1,500 award for All Pa’u (2026, hybrid printmaking ink on paper, 23.4 x 33.1 in). In All Pa’u, Lexi Fujita brings together Hawaiian language, textile traditions and personal heritage to explore identity, craftsmanship and cultural memory.

All twenty works will be exhibited at the Foundation’s gallery at 235 12th Street in Miami Beach from November 30 through December 6, 2026, during Miami Art Week, and offered through an online charity auction that opens November 20 and closes December 6 at 11:59 PM ET.

For each Emerging Artists for Impact Award artwork sold, the International Art Project Foundation allocates 50 percent of the sale price to charitable initiatives benefiting children and youth, and 50 percent to the Award program. The Foundation expects organizations including Sweet Dream Makers, In Jacob’s Shoes and New Hope for Families to be among the intended recipients of 2026 Award funding. Final allocations will be determined after the auction closes and announced alongside the projects they fund.

“These twenty artists were chosen for the strength of their work, but what excites me most is what comes next. We are giving emerging artists a platform to shine, while their creativity helps build a brighter future for children who need it. Young artists helping the next generation. That is why we created this Award,” said Daniel Gupta, founder of the International Art Project Foundation.

The exhibition opens November 30 with an invitation-only preview at 5 PM and a public opening at 7 PM, free with registration. All twenty artists are invited to attend.