For its third iteration, YoungArts announces the 2024 recipient of The Ashley Longshore Excellence in the Arts Award is Ackeem Salmon, a multimedia artist based in Detroit who draws from their heritage to explore themes of identity, hope, and connection.
The $25,000 unrestricted prize is made possible by the generous support of artist Ashley Longshore and aims to deepen and expand support for artists in the disciplines of Theater, Photography, and Visual Arts.
Ackeem’s art spans photography, painting, drawing, film, and site-specific installations, often incorporating a harp and original musical compositions to explore complex narratives about race, gender, sexuality, and belonging.
Salmon was hand-selected by Longshore for the quality, thoughtfulness, and complexity of his work, as well as his commitment to using art to empower and uplift marginalized voices in the community.
In addition to the cash award, Salmon will have opportunities for mentorship and access to continuing education, which can have a significant influence the trajectory of an emerging artist’s career.
“Ackeem is a remarkably talented, visual artist, musician, and teacher. He exemplifies authenticity and has an exhilarating dedication to the arts,” Ashley says. “I couldn’t be happier to announce that he is this year’s Ashley Longshore Excellence in the Arts Award winner.
I cannot wait to see his lifetime of self-expression, and how it will inspire, delight, and bring so much joy to those of us who cannot live without art.”
The Ashley Longshore Excellence in the Arts Award is open to YoungArts award winners 25 years or older who exemplify the traits of ambition, excellence, a love of their craft, and demonstrate an active interest in furthering the arts in their community.
Each year, eligible YoungArts award winners are invited to apply through YoungArts Post, the online network that brings together YoungArts winners from the past 40 years and is a resource for artistic and career advancement opportunities. Recipients are selected by discipline specific panels of artists.
“I am beyond grateful to have been selected for this award. There are no words to describe my feelings upon hearing the announcement. Over the past ten years, since moving from Jamaica to Detroit and creating tirelessly, I have always aimed to push the boundaries of my work despite the challenges posed by limited resources.
This award is a gift to my practice, offering a chance to realize dreams that once felt distant. I am deeply appreciative of this opportunity,” said Ackeem Salmon, the recipient of the 2024 Ashley Longshore Award. “This award will enable me to fund the completion of my “Remembering Yellow” series of paintings, which was halted due to financial constraints.
It will also allow me to revisit many projects I had to set aside due to limited time and resources, as well as invest in my current projects with even greater detail. With this support, I can truly begin to advance my practice efficiently and effectively, achieving a level of intentionality and grounding that was previously difficult to attain on my own.”
Those previously awarded The Ashley Longshore Excellence in the Arts Award include photographer Daveed Baptiste, recognized in 2023, and the award’s inaugural recipient Blaine Krauss for musical theater in 2022.
Longshore is a Southern-born self-taught painter, sculptor, and entrepreneur, often dubbed the “feminist Andy Warhol.” She created her own global pop art empire by challenging the traditional business model of art galleries and using her platform to encourage positivity, authenticity, and creativity.
Longshore’s works have been exhibited across America and Europe and explore themes found in pop culture, American consumerism and Hollywood.
“This award from Ashley Longshore and YoungArts demonstrates our shared commitment to the next generation of artists. We are so grateful to Ashley Longshore for her generosity and for helping us invest in artists’ lifelong creative freedom,” said Clive Chang, President of YoungArts.
“Ackeem is a talented and singular voice whose interdisciplinary work inspires new perspectives around connection, identity, belonging and history. On behalf of YoungArts, I am proud to recognize his work, and truly excited to watch the trajectory of his career as his art continues to deepen and deepen and expand our world and ourselves.”