Jennifer Packer, assistant professor in the School of Art, has been named a 2025 Heinz Awards recipient. The annual prize is given to six Americans for outstanding contributions in the categories of the arts, the economy, and the environment, and comes with an unrestricted cash award of $250,000. This year’s recipients will be honored in October in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 

A figurative artist, Professor Packer was recognized for her expressive paintings and drawings that offer a powerful reimagining of American representation. Her intimate portraits merge expressive linework, luminous color, and passages of dissolution to portray her subjects with tenderness and depth. Her work has been widely recognized, with major solo exhibitions at institutions such as the Serpentine Galleries in London, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, and The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. 

“This year’s Heinz Awards recipients are not just changemakers, but they are also architects of an equitable tomorrow. Their work doesn’t just shift systems; it stirs imagination, amplifies truth and breathes possibility into the future we all deserve,” notes Teresa Heinz, chairman of the Heinz Family Foundation. 

Heinz established the awards 30 years ago to honor the memory of her late husband, US Senator John Heinz, and to celebrate the vision and the spirit that produce achievements of lasting good. Previous arts and humanities recipients include conceptual artist Sanford Biggers, poet Rita Dove, writer Dave Eggers, opera legend Beverly Sills, and playwright August Wilson. Nominations are submitted by invited nominators, who serve anonymously, and are reviewed by jurors appointed by the Heinz Family Foundation.