Alison Croney Moses, a Boston artist dedicated to bringing Black motherhood to light, wins de Cordova Museum’s $50,000 Rappaport Prize – The Boston Globe
The email came last week, said Alison Croney Moses, an invitation to a Zoom chat with Trustees of Reservations’ art curators Sarah Montross and Tess Lukey. Moses, a Boston-based artist, was happy enough to hear from them, but didn’t know why.
“You don’t say no when a curator wants to talk to you,” she laughed. They exchanged small talk for a while, and then they got down to business. “At about the seven minute mark, they said, ‘So, you’re getting the Rappaport Prize, and it comes with $50,000.’ I didn’t submit anything. I didn’t apply. And I just started crying.”
Croney Moses, 42, was officially named the 26th recipient of the prize Tuesday, given annually by the de Cordova Sculpture Park and Museum, a Trustees property, to an artist with strong New England ties (last year, the Maine-based artist Jeremy Frey was the winner; in 2023, it was Cambridge’s Tomashi Jackson).
Alison Croney Moses, who works mostly in wood, carefully manipulates a scale model of her Triennial project earlier this year. Lane Turner/Globe Staff
Moses was already having a banner year. Her piece called “This Moment for Joy,” an angular splay of undulating planks of red oakcommissioned bythe inaugural Boston Public Art Triennial, isperched prominently on an expanse of lawn at the Charlestown Navy Yard right now, ineyeshot of the U.S.S. Constitution Museum. In August, she’ll be one of the artists featured in the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston’s Foster Prize exhibition, a biennial affair that celebrates artists from the city .
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Outward appearances of success, though, can be misleading. Moses, who balances her art career with the active lives of her two young children, has struggled to find space and time to pursue her work. The prize, she said, is like a pressure valve being released. “Honestly, I really was in tears,” she said. “It’s hard to tell from the outside, because I know it looks like I’m doing very well, but financially, being an artist in Boston is difficult. It’s really, really difficult. This gives me space to breathe.”
The timing of the prize could hardly have come at a better time. Moses, whose work is largely sculpture, and mosly in wood, has only been able to devote herself full-time to making art in the last two years; before that, she had a 10-year career working in non-proifts, leaving art to brief slivers of time in the evening and on weekends, when work and parenting weren’t in the way.
Alison Croney Moses, left, and Izaiah Rhodes, her assistant, working on her Triennial commission in her Boston studio this year.TONY LUONG/NYT
The prize places no restrictions on how the money can be used, and does not require artists to produce a piece or body of work. On a follow-up call with the Rappaport family, the local philanthropists who fund the prize, Moses made clear both her gratitude and how important a no-strings-attached gift can be for any artist.
“Any time I’ve had access to unrestricted funding, it’s given me the opportunity to get deeper into my practice, “she said. ”Literally, right before that Zoom call, I was looking at job postings, really thinking: Do I need a full-time job again? Something like this tells me: You are an artist. You should be doing this. And that’s huge.”
One thing the prize can no longer provide, unfortunately, is the winner being given a solo exhibition at the de Cordova, which it did for many years. The museum has been closed since 2023 for an overhaul of its HVAC system (the last was Sonia Clark in 2021). But Moses is already thinking about how her newfound freedom might transform her practice.
An exhibition of some of Alison Croney Moses’s work at the Abigail Ogilvy Gallery in Boston.Mel Taing
Thematically, she’s devoted: “This Moment for Joy,” a minimalist cocoon that ripples and curls into a protective embrace, is a monument to the warmth of the Black women in her life who inspire and support her; using elegant wood forms, Moses means to honor Black motherhood and interrogate a society that has made it perilous and undervalued for generations.
The prize, she said, is opening her mind to expansive treatments on the theme. A project she’s been mulling involving sound and video – both firsts for her, and a real risk to attempt with bills to pay – now seems possible. “Right now, I work deadline to deadline,” she said. “I don’t ever feel like I’m really able to dream and experiment. Now, I can.”
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Alison Croney Moses’s “This Moment for Joy,” a project of the Boston Public Art Triennial, remains at the Charlestown Navy Yard, 1 – 5th St., through Oct. 31.
The Foster Prize exhibition opens August 28 at the Institute for Contemporary Art Boston, 25 Harbor Shore Drive.
Murray Whyte can be reached at murray.whyte@globe.com. Follow him @TheMurrayWhyte.
The 24-year-old forward had a career-high 68 points (27 goals, 41 assists) in 2024-25 with the Sabres before getting traded to Utah in June, 2025. Peterka posted 47 points (25 goals, 22 assists) through 82 games in his first year with the Mammoth.
“He’s got an elite shot. Probably gives us another look on the elbows in a power play situation. His power play minutes dipped a little bit last year; his 5-on-5 production has been really good, plays both wings, can probably play with a couple different types of centers,” Sweeney said.
Peterka had a similar assessment for himself.
“I think a pretty fast game, likes to score goals,” he said. “Just overall, exciting player that loves to make plays.”
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Sweeney also sees a versatility in Peterka’s game that can benefit his new teammates up and down the lineup.
“I think he fits into a good group age-wise because he’s able to have played in the league with all the experience he’s had, the success he’s had, so he can ride shotgun with David because he has had scoring,” Sweeney said. “He can go down and drive a line, which he has done.”
The prospect of him playing with someone like David Pastrnak is something that excites both Sweeney and Peterka.
“That would be pretty sick, not going to lie,” Peterka said. “If you have that caliber of a player, I think everyone wants to play with him. From the past, playing against him, even watching him, was always super special. I would be super honored, for sure.”
While Peterka has already played four full seasons in the NHL, he still has his whole career in front of him. He joins a young new wave of Bruins players – alongside the likes of Reichel, Fraser Minten, Marat Khusnutdinov and James Hagens – who will carve the future identity of the team. The ceiling is high for Peterka.
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“In JJ’s case, he has had success. We have to come in and put him in the right situations so he continues to score at the level we think he can. Morgan [Geekie] is a great example,” Sweeney said. “Did we think he was going to score 39 goals when we first acquired him? No. But that’s always the hope – that a player will take advantage of a new opportunity and playing with different types of players than what they were in their other environment.”
Peterka is ready for the challenge and to prove that he has another gear to his game to help the Bruins win.
“I think it’s always nice to have a fresh start. I think especially after the year I had last year where I wasn’t really happy with the performance I put on the ice,” Peterka said. “For me, I feel like it’s a fresh start. And for a team like Boston, it couldn’t be any better.”
Editor’s note:Follow live World Cup standings updates and analysis for the round of 32
Paraguay fans can breathe a sigh of relief, their team is headed to the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup.
Paraguay rebounded nicely after a tough first match against the United States, defeating Turkey and drawing Australia, finishing the group stage in third place and officially qualifying for the knockout rounds when Uruguay lost to Spain on Friday night.
However, it does not get easier from here, as Paraguay will take on Germany in the round of 32.
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SHOP: Paraguay vs. Germany World Cup tickets
The match will take place outside of Boston at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. and is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Here’s everything you need to know about how to buy tickets for Paraguay vs. Germany’s in the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup.
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Germany vs. Paraguay round of 32 World Cup ticket price
With its Group E win, Germany will play its Round of 32 match at Gillette Stadium on Monday, June 29. As of publication, the cheapest available tickets for Germany’s game in Boston start at $1,044.
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Germany World Cup Round of 32 game information
Where: Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.
What time: 4:30 p.m. ET
Tickets: Starting at $826
When: Monday, June 29
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More:Here’s how to buy 2026 World Cup Final tickets in New York
When is Paraguay vs. Germany World Cup game?
Germany clinched the top spot in Group E on Saturday, its Round of 32 match will take place on Monday, June 29.
Where is Paraguay vs. Germany World Cup game?
Germany and Paraguay will play their round of 32 game outside of Boston. This will be the team’s first game in Foxborough, Mass. for the tournament.
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Germany World Cup schedule
Sunday, June 14: Germany def. Curaçao WIN 7-1
Saturday, June 20: Germany vs. Ivory Coast WIN 2-1
Thursday, June 25: Germany vs. Ecuador LOSS 2-1
Monday, June 29: Germany vs Paraguay in Boston (round of 32) – Shop tickets
Shop Germany vs. Paraguay World Cup tickets
World Cup Group E standings
Paraguay World Cup schedule
Paraguay vs. United States – LOSS 4-1
Paraguay vs. Turkey – WIN 1-0
Paraguay vs. Australia – DRAW 0-0
Monday, June 29 – Paraguay vs. Germany in Boston (round of 32) – Shop tickets
More: We ranked the 2026 FIFA World Cup jerseys, here are our favorites
The fifth World Cup match in Foxborough features two strong teams and two of the best strikers in the world.
Kylian Mbappé leads France against Erling Haaland and Norway in the final group-stage game being played in Foxborough. On Monday, Germany will take on a yet-to-be-determined opponent in a Round of 32 elimination game, and Foxborough’s final match will be a quarterfinal on July 9.
Here are scenes from Friday’s game from Globe photographers.
France superstar Kylian Mbappé (right) screams after one of teammate Ousmane Dembele’s goals.Christian Kantosky for The Boston Globe
France’s Jules Kounde (left) defends against Norway forward Andreas Schjelderup.Lane Turner/Globe Staff
France forward Ousmane Dembele celebrates after scoring one of his three first-half goals.Christian Kantosky for The Boston Globe
Erik Lunde, from California, attended the Group I match between France and Norway in Foxborough.Finn Gomez for The Boston Globe
Norway striker Erling Haaland, who did not start, warms up before the World Cup match against France.Christian Kantosky for The Boston Globe
Norway fans are fired up before the game against France.Lane Turner/Globe Staff
France forward Rayan Cherki (left) and Norway’s Erling Haaland, teammates at Manchester City, embrace before the start of the game.Lane Turner/Globe Staff
A Norway fan wore face paint and a Viking helmet for the game.Christian Kantosky for The Boston Globe
Norway fans filled the stands in Foxborough.Christian Kantosky for The Boston Globe
A France fan, complete with rooster headwear, waits for the start of the game.Lane Turner/Globe Staff
Robert Branchaud of Tewksbury is prepared for the Group I match between France and Norway.Finn Gomez for The Boston Globe
Fans begin to enter the stadium for the match between France and Norway.Finn Gomez for The Boston Globe
Howard Carlsson and Christian Loset of Drammen, Norway, pose for a photo before the game.Finn Gomez for The Boston Globe
Lane Turner can be reached at lane.turner@globe.com. Finn Gomez can be reached at finn.gomez@globe.com. Christian Kantosky can be reached at christian.kantosky@globe.com. Follow him on Instagram at @ckantoskyphoto.
