Trenton Doyle Hancock, “The Former and the Ladder or Ascension and a Cinchin’.” 2012. Acrylic and mixed media on canvas. Photographed by Jason Mandella.
Trenton Doyle Hancock (MFA ’00) has received the Greenfield Prize in association with the Hermitage Artist Retreat in Sarasota, FL.
The Philadelphia-based Greenfield Foundation and the Hermitage Artist Retreat partner together “to bring into the world works of art that will have a significant impact on the broader or artistic culture.”
“Lately, I’ve been wanting to explore some new and exciting avenues in my art. The Greenfield Prize will allow me the time, space, and means to see these new ideas to fruition,” Hancock said.
The prize is awarded to an individual who has shown that they can achieve this through their past and future work. As a painter, Hancock was awarded in the Visual Art category.
“The Hermitage has established a reputation for supporting innovators in the arts. It feels great to be counted in that number,” Hancock said.
After earning his BFA from Texas A&M University, Hancock went on to receive his MFA from Tyler in 2000.
“Tyler was an environment geared towards not only developing a strong and long-standing studio practice, but it also emphasized finding a voice through making,” Hancock said. “I was introduced to a choir of strong, intelligent, and critical voices, and those voices still ring clearly in my head today.”
On April 21, Hancock will be presented with the $30,000 prize at the annual Greenfield Prize Dinner. After the presentation of the award, Hancock will begin creating a body of work that will be shared with art enthusiasts around the world.
“My proposal was to make a short film/video piece, allowing me to deal with some of my painting issues in 4-D. I have been given two years to come up with something solid, so we’ll see where it all ends up,” Hancock said.
Tyler Student Life! 
