Interdisciplinary artist Pamela Z received the 2022 Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts at MIT, the official announcement made at the Council for the Arts at MIT’s 49th annual meeting at the Institute on September 30, 2022. The $100K prize awarded at a gala in her honor also includes an artist residency at MIT in spring 2023, during which Pamela Z will perform selections from her work in a concert open to the public on April 19, 2023, followed by a public lecture/demonstration on April 20, 2023.

A pioneering composer, performer, and interdisciplinary artist for more than four decades, Pamela has toured to major festivals and venues worldwide. She works with voice, live electronic processing, sampled sound, and video, and is known for using custom music technology, activated by physical gesture, to explore deeply personal themes. This McDermott residency builds on her prior visits to MIT in 2013 and 2016, during which she worked with students, fellow visiting artists, and other members of the campus community. 

About the Award

The Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts at MIT recognizes innovative talents and is awarded to artists working in any field or cross-disciplinary activity, reflecting MIT’s commitment to risk-taking, problem solving, and connecting creative minds across disciplines. The $100,000 prize represents an investment in the recipient’s future creative work, rather than a prize for a particular project or lifetime of achievement. The award was established in 1974 by Margaret McDermott (1912-2018) in honor of her husband, Eugene McDermott (1899-1973), a co-founder of Texas Instruments and long-time friend and benefactor of MIT. The award is bestowed upon individuals whose artistic artistic trajectory and body of work have achieved the highest distinction in their field and indicate they will remain leaders for years to come.