By Michael McCarthy By Michael McCarthy | February 3, 2025 | Lifestyle, Feature,
Three Bay Area creators win SFMOMA’s SECA Art Award, topped by an exhibit through late May.
Bay Area artist Rupy C. Tut is one of this year’s winners of the SECA Art Award.
Year after year, SFMOMA (sfmoma.org) garners praise for transcending geographic and artistic boundaries with groundbreaking exhibits. However, for many in the Bay Area arts community, the museum’s greatest triumph is showcasing local creatives.
The museum recently announced the winners of the SECA Art Award: Rose D’Amato (@spooky_orbison), Angela Hennessy (@thehouseofhennessy) and Rupy C. Tut (@rupyctut). Through May 25, visitors can see the artists’ works in SFMOMA’s Art of California galleries on Floor 2. Each artist will have a dedicated gallery.
Rupy C. Tut, “The Dreamweaver” (2024)
“We were honored to spend time with each of the 16 SECA Art Award finalists through our studio visits,” says Maria Castro, the museum’s assistant curator of painting and sculpture. “The experience was a testament to the incredible talent, vibrancy and diversity of creative practices in the Bay Area today.”
Each artist’s work reflects the vibrant tapestry of the region. Tut’s artwork has been showcased in solo exhibitions at venues such as ICA San Francisco (icasf.org) and SF’s Jessica Silverman Gallery (jessicasilvermangallery.com).
The Oakland-based artist’s creations are part of the permanent collections at the de Young Museum (famsf.org) and Asian Art Museum (asianart.org).
Rupy C. Tut, “A Place Dear to Me” (2024)
Hennessy creates sculptures and installations through processes rooted in everyday domestic labor, such as stitching, knotting, brushing and braiding. Her work has been featured in exhibitions at the Museum of the African Diaspora (moadsf.org) and the Oakland Museum of California (museumca.org).
SF-based D’Amato, whom Modern Luxury featured in its December national Arts Issue, is a pinstriper and painter. As a second-generation sign maker, she finds inspiration in decorative folk arts, hand-lettering and the iconic imagery shaped by her firsthand experience pinstriping and lettering on lowriders. She’s preparing for forthcoming projects at Gallery 16 (gallery16.com), BAMPFA (bampfa.org), Charlie James Gallery (cjamesgallery.com) and House of Seiko (houseofseiko.info).
Angela Henessy, “As I Live and Breathe,” (2022)
Photography by: SAMANTHA TYLER COOPER; PHILLIP MAISEL/COURTESY OF ARTIST AND JESSICA SILVERMAN GALLERY; PHILLIP MAISEL/COURTESY OF ARTIST AND JESSICA SILVERMAN GALLERY; COURTESY OF ARTIST