TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida State University College of Fine Arts celebrates Hannah Keats (MFA ’25), who has been awarded the $10,000 William and Dorothy Yeck Purchase Award through the 2026 Miami University Young Painters Competition (Oxford, Ohio). Keats’ painting, Fossil Record, was selected by juror Saya Woolfalk and will be acquired for the Miami University Yeck Collection of 21st Century Painting and Sculpture.
The Yeck Purchase Award is among the competition’s top honors, recognizing emerging painters whose work demonstrates exceptional vision, rigor, and promise. In an award notification dated Feb. 6, 2026, Miami University confirmed the selection and the acquisition of Fossil Record into its permanent collection.
In addition to the purchase award, Keats will receive a one-person exhibition at Miami University as part of the award program. The exhibition is tentatively scheduled for Feb. 4–March 12, 2027, and Keats will be invited to campus to deliver a public lecture and engage with graduate critiques during the exhibition period.
Keats earned her MFA from Florida State University in 2025, where she developed her studio practice within a critique-driven program emphasizing research, sustained inquiry, and professional preparation. Her national recognition reflects the strength of FSU’s graduate community and the momentum of its alumni as they enter the field as exhibiting artists.
About the Miami University Young Painters Competition
Hosted by Miami University’s Hiestand Galleries, the Young Painters Competition highlights emerging talent and connects award recipients to institutional collections, exhibition opportunities, and public programming.
About FSU Studio Art
FSU’s Studio Art programs in the College of Fine Arts support artists through intensive studio practice, critical dialogue, and professional development, preparing graduates to compete for major awards, exhibitions, and collection acquisitions nationally and internationally.