Thea Canlas, a talented Filipina American artist, has been awarded the prestigious 21st annual Janet & Walter Sondheim Art Prize during a ceremony held on Thursday evening at the Walters Art Museum.
A proud graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Canlas is set to receive a monetary award of $30,000. Her artistic work delves into the complexities of diasporic Philippine identity, utilizing craft, material histories, and sculptural installations. Canlas earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fibers from MICA in 2006, the inaugural year of the Sondheim prize, and completed her Master of Fine Arts at Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver in 2023. She was also a semifinalist for the Sondheim Art Prize in 2024, a highly esteemed accolade in the state of Maryland. Currently, Canlas is active as a studio artist, freelance designer, and educator.
Expressing her gratitude, Canlas remarked, “This is an incredible honor, a full circle moment for me! I’m still absorbing everything. I am thankful for this opportunity as an artist working and living in Baltimore, which is a vibrant art city. I’m so grateful for the support of my family and friends. Meeting the finalists and exhibiting work alongside my peers has made this experience truly extraordinary.”
The award, named after two influential civic leaders who championed the arts in Baltimore, aims to assist visual artists or visual artist collaborators residing and working in the Greater Baltimore area.
This significant recognition is presented by Create Baltimore, formerly known as the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, in collaboration with the Walters Art Museum, and is supported by the Maryland State Arts Council.
Canlas was selected as one of the five finalists announced earlier in the year. The remaining four finalists included Leigh Davis, Brandon Donahue-Shipp, Curran Hatleberg, and Danni O’Brien. Together, they collaborated with the museum to select and install works for an exhibition, which is currently being showcased at the museum’s Hackerman House until September 13.
This year marks the inaugural exhibition of the Sondheim Prize held at Hackerman House, and each finalist was awarded $3,000 to support the exhibition. The project was curated by Lisa Anderson-Zhu, the museum’s Curator of Provenance and Ancient Mediterranean Art. A panel of three judges, consisting of Lauren Haynes, an arts worker and curator based in New York City; Jinny Khanduja, the executive director of the Cue Art Foundation in New York; and Shellyne Roderiguez, an artist, educator, and community organizer from the Bronx, selected the award winner.
Earlier this summer, the semifinalists for the 2026 Sondheim Art Prize participated in an exhibition at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, featuring works by 16 of the 18 artists chosen by the jurors.
Janet Sondheim was known for her performances with the Denishawn Dancers, a historic troupe established by Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn. Walter Sondheim, Jr., who had a long-standing career of 43 years as an executive with the Hochschild-Kohn department store, also played a crucial role as chair of Charles Center-Inner Harbor Management Inc., which spearheaded revitalization efforts in downtown Baltimore and the Inner Harbor. Their legacy continues through their daughter, Ellen Sondheim Dankert, and her husband, Roger Dankert, who were present at the award ceremony.
Robyn Murphy, CEO of Create Baltimore, remarked, “The Sondheim Art Prize highlights the depth, diversity, and innovative vision of artists who are actively influencing Baltimore’s cultural landscape. Each finalist this year is pushing the limits of form and meaning in contemporary art. We are proud to recognize Thea Canlas as the 2026 Janet & Walter Sondheim Art Prize winner, and we eagerly anticipate how this award will contribute to the next phase of her career.”
The Walters Art Museum, located at 600 N. Charles Street, welcomes visitors from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, and from 1 to 8 p.m. on Thursdays. Admission to the museum is free of charge.
