The award for Second Place and recipient of the $1,500 prize in round one of the inaugural, 2026 Capital Square Prize, goes to Luis Vasquez La Roche (M.F.A.’20). La Roche is an artist and educator who resides between Trinidad and Tobago and Virginia. They hold an MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University. They are a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Art and Design at George Mason University in Northern Virginia.

Luis Vasquez La Roche (M.F.A.’20) won second prize as a part of the Capital Square Prize, round one, juried exhibition. The Capital Prize, made possible through a partnership between VCUarts and Capital Square, presents an opportunity for Painting + Printmaking alumni to showcase their work within the Capital Square’s new Chasen building in Scott’s Addition. The Capital Prize exhibitions, featuring the work of prize finalists, celebrate the creative legacy of the building as the historic home of N. Chasen & Son paint company as it is transformed into Chasen, a vibrant new residential development bridging Richmond’s artistic past and future.

Artist Biography

Luis Vasquez La Roche (M.F.A.’20) has exhibited work and performed in institutions such as Field Projects (NY), Deakin University (Australia), La Vulcanizadora (Colombia), Black Ground (Colombia), Second Street Gallery (VA), International Development Bank (DC), Alice Yard (Trinidad and Tobago), University of Chicago (IL), LACE (CA), AIR Gallery (NY), Fresh Milk (Barbados), The Carr Center (MI), the ICA (VA), The Shed (NY) the Museum of Contemporary Art in Puerto Rico and Documenta 15 in Germany. They were selected for OAZO AIR in The Netherlands (2013), Beta Local’s Itinerant Seminar in Puerto Rico (2016), Mare Residency in Puerto Rico (2021), Mar de Isla’s performance encounter in Puerto Rico (2021), Visible Records Airstream in Virginia (2022) and Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts (2023). They were the recipient of the Fulbright scholarship in 2018.

They are a tenure-track Assistant  Professor in the Department of Art and Design at George Mason University in Northern Virginia.

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