Burlington City Arts has honored Winooski artist Corrine Yonce with the 2025 Diane Gabriel Visual Artist Award, which includes a $5,000 cash prize and $1,000 credit for classes at BCA Studios. Yonce, 34, is known for her diverse artistic practices, including drawing, painting, and installation, and is actively involved in housing advocacy through the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity.
Her notable project, “Voices of Home,” launched in 2015, showcases documentary-style audio stories paired with painted portraits of individuals from affordable housing communities. Presently on display at the Fletcher Free Library in Burlington, this project exemplifies her commitment to community connection.
Yonce has also exhibited her work at various local venues, including Soapbox Arts and as part of the “Mortal Coil” show at K. Grant Fine Art. Her expressive, mixed-media paintings incorporate materials like metal grates, resin, and objects gathered through community engagement. In a recent collaborative effort, she and fellow artist Mary Lacy created a mosaic mural in Brattleboro, utilizing shards brought by community members during “smash parties.”
Yonce’s work often explores the concept of “home,” embracing a flexible, nuanced approach to expression. She feels the award arrives at a pivotal moment as she prepares for a solo exhibition at AVA Gallery in Lebanon, N.H., this August. The support from the award will assist her in completing and framing her pieces for this upcoming show. Grateful for this recognition, Yonce reflects on her journey since her first studio visit with BCA curator Heather Ferrell and the community arts grant she received a decade earlier.
