UMass Dartmouth alum earns International Sculpture Center award

Yaren Yıldız MFA '26 selected as one of 12 recipients of International Sculpture Center honor

Yaren Yıldız MFA '26, a recent graduate of UMass Dartmouth's College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA), has been named a recipient of the International Sculpture Center's 2026 Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award.

Yıldız was one of just 12 artists selected from a pool of 198 student nominees for the international honor. The annual award recognizes emerging sculptors demonstrating excellence in contemporary sculpture and encourages their continued commitment to the field. 

"Receiving this recognition so soon after completing my MFA makes it especially meaningful. In a way, it feels like a new beginning and gives me an incredible push to keep working in the studio," said Yıldız. "As an artist, you spend so much time alone with the work, questioning it, changing it, and trying to understand what it is becoming. Knowing that the work was not only seen, but felt, by the International Sculpture Center committee is incredibly rewarding. I am also excited that this recognition will allow the work to reach new audiences across the U.S."

"I spent the last three years in my studio at UMass Dartmouth's Art and Design Studios, and it became much more than a school studio to me. It was a home. It was where I ate, worked for long hours, felt excited, felt stuck, celebrated breakthroughs, and sometimes cried. So much of who I became as an artist happened in that space."

Yıldız, a multidisciplinary artist originally from Turkey, earned her MFA in ceramics from UMass Dartmouth in 2026. Her work explores the body through ceramics and drawing, using tactile forms to evoke internal sensations and movement. While at UMass Dartmouth, she held a teaching fellowship and taught foundation drawing and hand building ceramics. Before coming to UMass Dartmouth, Yıldız earned her BFA in fine arts from Bilkent University in Turkey, graduating as valedictorian of its Faculty of Art, Design, and Architecture. 

"I spent the last three years in my studio at UMass Dartmouth's Art and Design Studios, and it became much more than a school studio to me. It was a home. It was where I ate, worked for long hours, felt excited, felt stuck, celebrated breakthroughs, and sometimes cried," she said. "So much of who I became as an artist happened in that space. Butwhat made those years especially important was the community around me. I am truly grateful to the faculty, my fellow artists, and the entire CVPA community. We worked incredibly hard alongside one another, supported one another, and became something like a family. This recognition belongs to a body of work that could not have developed in the same way without those three years and the people who shared them with me."

Established in 1994, the International Sculpture Center's student award program invites colleges and universities worldwide to nominate students whose work exemplifies excellence in contemporary sculpture. Students must be nominated by their institution to be considered for the award.

The ISC jury selected Yıldız's 2025 ceramic sculpture, "Untitled," for the honor. The 26-by-21-by-12-inch work is constructed from coil-built porcelain with underglaze, glaze and Mason stain. Professor Rebecca Hutchinson served as Yıldız's faculty sponsor for the award. 

"Yaren's work reflects the kind of fearless exploration and deep engagement with material that we hope to foster in our graduate students," said Henderson. "Her recognition by the International Sculpture Center is a tremendous accomplishment and a testament to both the strength of her artistic voice and her dedication to developing it. I'm thrilled to see her work recognized on an international stage."

As an award recipient, Yıldız will be invited to participate in a group exhibition and will receive a one-year membership to the International Sculpture Center. Her winning work will also be featured in the January/February 2027 issue of Sculpture magazine alongside recognition of UMass Dartmouth and Hutchinson. 

The International Sculpture Center is a member-supported nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the creation and understanding of sculpture. Its membership includes artists, curators, educators, collectors, museums, galleries and other professionals working across the field.