For Filipina American artist Thea Canlas, questions of Philippine identity are explored through the materials and objects that make up her work.
That practice has now earned Canlas the 2026 Janet & Walter Sondheim Art Prize, a $30,000 fellowship awarded to a visual artist or artist collaborators living and working in the greater Baltimore region.
Canlas was named this year’s winner during an August 27 ceremony at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, where works by all five finalists remain on view through September 13.
Her conceptual and research-driven practice examines diasporic Philippine identity through craft and material histories, sculptural objects and installations.
The recognition comes after years of developing that body of work.
Canlas earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fibers from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2006. She later completed her Master of Fine Arts at Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver in 2023.
She had also previously reached the Sondheim competition, becoming a semifinalist in 2024. That same year, she was selected as a Ruby’s Art Award grantee.
This year’s competition began with 23 semifinalists before Canlas advanced to the final five alongside Leigh Davis, Brandon Donahue-Shipp, Curran Hatleberg and Danni O’Brien.
Their works were brought together for the 2026 Sondheim Art Prize Finalists Exhibition at the Walters Art Museum’s Hackerman House, which opened June 25.
A three-member jury composed of Lauren Haynes, Jinny Khanduja and Shellyne Rodriguez selected the winner. The jurors also met individually with the finalists as part of the selection process.
Canlas’ win adds another milestone to a career closely connected to Baltimore’s arts community. She graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2006, the same year the Sondheim Art Prize began awarding artists in the region.
Now in its 21st edition, the prize is presented by Create Baltimore in partnership with the Walters Art Museum and with support from the Maryland State Arts Council.
Named after Janet and Walter Sondheim, who were prominent figures in Baltimore’s civic and cultural life, the program provides its winner with a $30,000 fellowship intended to help further an artist’s career.
For Canlas, the award puts a practice centered on the experiences and complexities of the Philippine diaspora at the center of one of Baltimore’s major annual visual arts programs.