The National Sculpture Society awards the 2025 Dexter Jones Award to Chris Kunk. The $5,000 Grant is presented for an outstanding work of sculpture in bas-relief.

Sculptors Lindley Briggs and Jacob E. Dobson, along with galleriest Mashiko, served as this year’s jurors.

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 and as a teaching assistant at the Arts Students League of New York. He has an artistic fellowship at the Newington-Cropsey Foundation in the studio of Greg Wyatt, which is focused on self-directed projects. Chris’ work has received exhibition prizes from the National Sculpture Society and the Hudson Valley Art Association. He also recieved the Dexter Jones Award in 2024.

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.