The Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College, New York will present its 12th annual award for curatorial excellence to Okwui Enwezor, curator, art historian, and Dean of Academic Affairs and Senior Vice President at San Francisco Art Institute.

Enwezor is perhaps best known for his Documenta 11 exhibition, an exploration of critical issues affecting both art and culture today, as well as for his work as an ardent champion of artists from Africa. The Nigerian-born Enwezor also curated the second Johannesburg Biennale, the second International Biennial of Contemporary Art of Seville, and the seventh Gwangju Biennale.

Past recipients of the award include Harald Szeemann, 1998; Marcia Tucker, 1999; Kasper König, 2000; Paul Schimmel, 2001; Suzanne Ghez, 2002; Kynaston McShine, 2003; Walter Hopps, 2004; Kathy Halbreich and Mari Carmen Ramírez, 2005; Lynne Cooke and Vasif Kortun, 2006; Alanna Heiss, 2007; and Catherine David, 2008.