Thea Canlas, a Filipina American artist, is the winner of the 21st annual Janet & Walter Sondheim Art Prize, awarded Thursday night at the Walters Art Museum.
A graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Canlas will receive $30,000. Her work explores “the entanglements of diasporic Philippine identity” through craft and material histories, sculptural objects and installations. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fibers from MICA in 2006 — the first year the Sondheim prize was awarded — and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver in 2023. In 2024, she was a semifinalist for the Sondheim Art Prize, one of the most prestigious awards given in Maryland. She works as a studio artist, freelance designer and educator.
“This is an incredible honor, a full circle moment for me!” Canlas said. “I’m still absorbing everything. Thankful for this opportunity, as an artist working and living in Baltimore, a great art city. I’m so grateful for the support of my family and friends. Meeting the finalists and exhibiting work alongside my peers added to this extraordinary experience.”
Named after two civic leaders who were strong supporters of the arts and Baltimore, the prize is given “to assist in furthering the career of a visual artist or visual artist collaborators living and working in the Greater Baltimore region.”
It’s presented by Create Baltimore, formerly known as the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, in partnership with the Walters Art Museum and supported by the Maryland State Arts Council.
Canlas is one of five finalists announced earlier this year. The other four were Leigh Davis, Brandon Donahue-Shipp, Curran Hatleberg and Danni O’Brien. All five worked with the museum to select and install works for an exhibition, which is on view at the museum’s Hackerman House through Sept. 13.
This is the first year the Sondheim exhibition has been held inside Hackerman House, and each finalist received $3,000 toward the exhibition. Lisa Anderson-Zhu, the museum’s Curator of Provenance and Ancient Mediterranean Art, was the exhibition curator. The winner was selected by a three-member jury that included Lauren Haynes, a curator and arts worker based in New York City; Jinny Khanduja, the executive director of the Cue Art Foundation in New York; and Shellyne Roderiguez, an artist, educator, writer, and community organizer based in the Bronx.
The semifinalists for the 2026 Sondheim Art Prize had an exhibition at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum earlier this summer, featuring pieces from 16 of the 18 artists selected by the jurors.
Janet Sondheim danced with the Denishawn Dancers, a legendary troupe founded by Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn. Walter Sondheim, Jr., an executive with the Hochschild-Kohn department store chain for 43 years, served for many years as chair of Charles Center-Inner Harbor Management Inc., which led the city’s efforts to revitalize downtown Baltimore and the Inner Harbor. They were represented at the award ceremony by their daughter, Ellen Sondheim Dankert, and her husband, Roger Dankert.
“The Sondheim Art Prize spotlights the depth, diversity and bold vision of artists who are actively shaping Baltimore’s cultural landscape,” said Create Baltimore CEO Robyn Murphy. “Each one of this year’s finalists pushes the boundaries of form and meaning to expand the conversation around contemporary art. We are so proud to recognize Thea Canlas as the 2026 Janet & Walter Sondheim Art Prize winner, and we look forward to seeing how the prize supports the next stage of her career.”
Located at 600 N. Charles Street, the Walters Art Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and from 1 to 8 p.m. on Thursday. Admission is free.
