The National Sculpture Society awards the 2024 Dexter Jones Award to Chris Kunk. The $5,000 Grant is presented for an outstanding work of sculpture in bas-relief.

NSS Fellows Heidi Wastweet (from CA), Richard Blake (from PA) and Kate Brockman (from PA) served as this year’s jurors.

Brockman feels that Chris’s piece, As Skies Unfurl Forever, “shows a strong understanding of the technical aspects of low relief, of design and of anatomy.” She continues, “The variety of textures and surface treatments Chris uses really accentuate the expressive and emotive quality of the piece.”

Wastweet adds, “It’s rare to come across a sculptor so dedicated to a deep dive into bas-relief as more than just a side-project.” She continues, “Chris’s work reflects his true love for the medium with brilliance and demonstrates his understanding of relief as not just a compression of forms. I am excited to see what he does next.”

After graduating in 2021 with an MFA in sculpture from the New York Academy of Art (New York, NY), Chris went to Pawley’s Island, SC to work at Brookgreen Gardens. There he performed routine conservation on Brookgreen’s sculpture collection, managed various sculpture workshops and installed exhibitions. Currently, Chris works as a stone carver for a studio in Mt. Vernon, NY. His work has received exhibition prizes from the National Sculpture Society and the Hudson Valley Art Association.

Dexter Jones, FNSS (1926-1986) was an accomplished portrait sculptor and created several outstanding bas-reliefs in his lifetime. The annual award, named in his honor, was made possible through a generous donation from Dr. Roshen Irani and will be given in perpetuity.