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2022 Southern Prize exhibition now open in S.C.

Opening reception tonight in Florence gallery

Compelling visual art from the nine southeastern-state fellows in the running for the 2022 South Arts Southern Prize is now on display in Florence, and an opening reception is tonight from 5:30-6:30 p.m.

South Carolina Arts Commission Executive Director David T. Platts will be on hand for a greeting and remarks to attendees. Launched in 2017, the Southern Prize and State Fellowships acknowledge, support, and celebrate the highest quality art being created in the South. Approximately 600 artists applied for consideration in fall and winter 2021, and jurors reviewed each application to recommend the State Fellowship recipients. After review from a national panel of jurors, Louisiana mixed media artist Hannah Chalew was named winner of the $25,000 Southern Prize. [caption id="attachment_52309" align="alignright" width="300"] Click image to enlarge. Courtesy of South Arts.[/caption] The other 2022 State Fellowship recipients are:
  • Jenny Fine. Multidisciplinary. New Brockton, Alabama.
  • GeoVanna Gonzalez. Multidisciplinary. Miami, Florida.
  • Antonio Darden. Sculpture. Atlanta, Georgia.
  • Crystal Gregory. Sculpture. Lexington, Kentucky.
  • Gloria Gipson Suggs. Painting. Holly Springs, Mississippi.
  • Marcus Dunn. Painting. Fayetteville, North Carolina.
  • Brittany M. Watkins. Mixed Media. Columbia, South Carolina.
  • Sarah Elizabeth Cornejo. Sculpture. Memphis, Tennessee.
Visual artists living in South Arts’ nine-state region and producing crafts, drawing, experimental, painting, photography, sculpture, mixed media, and multidisciplinary work were eligible to apply. The nine fellows receive $5,000 cash awards and inclusion in this touring exhibition, which has made its way to South Carolina. The Stephen F. Gately Gallery at Francis Marion University is host of the exhibition. The Southern Prize and State Fellowships program is made possible through the generous financial support of many donors. [caption id="attachment_52307" align="aligncenter" width="950"]In a dimly-lit room, an art patron with short black hair in a black t-shirt snaps a mobile phone picture of South Carolina State Fellow Brittany M. Watkins' "Maladaptation Sits," on exhibit at the launch of the tour. An exhibition attendee snaps a picture of South Carolina State Fellow Brittany M. Watkins' "Maladaptation Sits," on exhibit at the launch of the tour. Provided photo/South Arts.[/caption]

Jason Rapp

Hub Quick Hits: Southern Prize deadline extended

Pow! Boom!

Today, South Arts announced a deadline extension for the prestigious Southern Prize (read our coverage here). Because of "weather events" (ahem, Hurricane Ian) impacting nearly half of South Arts' nine-state region, the deadline to enter has been extended to Nov. 1, 2022 (from Oct. 10) at 11:59 p.m. ET. $80,000 in cash prizes is up for grabs, #SCartists, and two residencies at the Hambidge Center. Let's go! Read more about the prize and find your way to the registration at the link to our previous coverage above.

Jason Rapp

Louisiana artist named Southern Prize winner for 2022

At the awards ceremony celebrating the 2022 State Fellows earlier this month, South Arts named Hannah Chalew of Louisiana the Southern Prize winner.

Tennessee's Sarah Elizabeth Cornejo was named the Southern Prize finalist. In May, Brittany M. Watkins of Columbia was announced as State Fellow for South Carolina. At the sixth annual Southern Prize and State Fellowships award ceremony held at the Bo Bartlett Center in Columbus, Georgia on Sept. 1, Chalew—a mixed media artist—was named the winner. She will receive an award of $25,000. Cornejo, a sculpture artist and Finalist, is to receive a $10,000 award. Both Southern Prize recipients also receive a two-week residency at the Hambidge Center for the Creative Arts and Sciences. They are among the nine State Fellowship recipients, each of whom received a $5,000 award, currently featured in an exhibition on display at the Bo Bartlett Center through Dec. 10 before touring to additional locations across the region in 2023. "Congratulations to Hannah, Sarah, and all of this year's State Fellowship recipients," said Neil Barclay, board chair for South Arts. "This cohort of artists represents the diversity in voices, thought, technique, and style of our region, and we are honored to support their work with these awards." The seven other State Fellowship recipients are:

Jason Rapp

South Arts taking apps for BIG opportunities

#SCartists and BIPOC arts leaders take note

Top view image of Graphic designer working table flat lay with painting/drawing equipment, color, paintbrush, pencils, white blank paper, coffee cup, keyboard, keyboard and potted plant on it. Two recurring opportunities by South Arts are now open for applications as of August. If either apply to you, well, you don't want to miss out. Here's what we know.

Leaders of Color Fellowship

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Wednesday, August 31, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. ET The LoCF is a strategic leadership development program for Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) leaders in our region who are committed to the advancement of cultural equity in the arts. Using a cohort structure, the program has emphasized experiential learning, community building, and service to the field. Since 2010, and for the past two years in partnership with South Arts, the Western States Arts Federation’s (WESTAF) Emerging Leaders of Color (ELC) program has promoted diverse, representative leadership and equity in the arts field by supporting the leadership of more than 100 arts leaders of color. A direct result of recommendations made to WESTAF from arts and culture leaders and advocates from across the region, this work is articulated through our Leaders of Color Fellowship program and on an ongoing basis with the Leaders of Color Network. Click here for information on the Leaders of Color Fellowship.

Southern Prize and State Fellowships

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Monday, October 10, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. ET The South Arts Southern Prize and State Fellowships acknowledge, support, and celebrate the highest quality artistic work being created in the American South. The program is open to individual artists living in the South Arts region: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. South Arts is committed to practices and funding that create greater cultural equity, represent the diversity of our region, are inclusive of diverse voices and artistic expression, and are accessible to everyone. Nine State Fellows (one per state) will be selected through a two-tiered selection process by a national jury; each State Fellow receives an award of $5,000 and will be included in a touring exhibition opening late summer 2023. A second national jury will select the Southern Prize winner and finalist, receiving an additional $25,000 and $10,000 respectively as well as a residency at the Hambidge Center for Creative Arts and Sciences. Jurors will make their selections based on artistic excellence that reflects and represents the diversity of the region.

Jason Rapp

Nine visual artists named 2022 South Arts Fellows

[caption id="attachment_50164" align="aligncenter" width="953"] Maladaptation Sits
Brittany M. Watkins
Year: 2021
Medium: Found & altered objects, vinyl & paint.
Size (h x w x d): 144" x 192" 120"
Provided photo. Click image to enlarge.[/caption]

South Arts has named nine visual artists as 2022 State Fellows, part of the Southern Prize and State Fellowships program.

Each fellowship—one per state in the South Arts region—comes with a cash award of $5,000 and inclusion in an exhibition at the Bo Bartlett Center in Columbus, Georgia, from Sept. 2-Dec. 10, 2022, before touring to additional locations across the region. The Southern Prize and State Fellowships are adjudicated awards recognizing artistic excellence that reflects and represents the diversity of the region. The State Fellows are also now in consideration for the two larger Southern Prize awards. One fellowship recipient will be named the Southern Prize winner receiving an additional $25,000 cash award, and another fellow will be named the Southern Prize Finalist receiving an additional $10,000; both Southern Prize recipients also receive a two-week residency at the Hambidge Center for the Creative Arts and Sciences. The two winners will be named at the opening reception for the exhibition this fall. The 2022 State Fellowship recipients are:
  • Jenny Fine. Multidisciplinary. New Brockton, Alabama.
  • GeoVanna Gonzalez. Multidisciplinary. Miami, Florida.
  • Antonio Darden. Sculpture. Atlanta, Georgia.
  • Crystal Gregory. Sculpture. Lexington, Kentucky.
  • Hannah Chalew. Mixed Media. New Orleans, Louisiana.
  • Gloria Gipson Suggs. Painting. Holly Springs, Mississippi.
  • Marcus Dunn. Painting. Fayetteville, North Carolina.
  • Brittany M. Watkins. Mixed Media. Columbia, South Carolina.
  • Sarah Elizabeth Cornejo. Sculpture. Memphis, Tennessee.
“The 2022 State Fellows are a testament to the robust creativity across our region,” said Susie Surkamer, President and CEO of South Arts. “Each State Fellow speaks to what it means to be an artist who lives, works, and creates in the South. Through their work, we are exploring themes vital to our regional understanding, including climate change, cultural assimilation, self-identity, and police violence. South Arts is grateful to celebrate their vision with these awards.”

About the Southern Prize

Launched in 2017, the Southern Prize and State Fellowships acknowledge, support, and celebrate the highest quality art being created in the South. Approximately 600 artists applied for consideration this past fall and winter, and jurors reviewed each application to recommend the State Fellowship recipients. Another national panel of jurors will review the State Fellows to determine the Southern Prize winner and finalist, both of whom will be named at a reception this fall. Visual artists living in South Arts’ nine-state region and producing crafts, drawing, experimental, painting, photography, sculpture, mixed media, and multidisciplinary work were eligible to apply. The Southern Prize and State Fellowships program is made possible through the generous financial support of many donors. To view work by the 2022 State Fellowship recipients, please visit southarts.org/southernprize. To learn more about South Arts’ grants, programs, and conferences, visit www.southarts.org.

About Brittany M. Watkins

Biography

Brittany M. Watkins (b.1989, Carrollton, GA) lives and works in Columbia, South Carolina. She earned her BFA from the University of West Georgia and an MFA from Florida State University (2016). Her work has been exhibited in international art fairs, museums, non-profit, and experimental spaces in North America, Iceland, Germany, Estonia, and the Philippines. Recently, this included Art Fair Philippines, 2022. Her site-specific installation “<Accept [(Self) + Elsewhere]” was awarded the Juried Panel Prize in ArtFields 2017 ($25,000), where she later erected a public art installation at TRAX Visual Art Center. Watkins has participated in residencies such as The Vermont Studio Center, Hambidge Center for Creative Arts & Sciences, and 701 Center for Contemporary Art. She is currently working on a large-scale installation for which she received an individual project grant from the South Carolina Arts Commission; this work will be displayed alongside a new series of paintings at Westobou Gallery in Augusta, Georgia beginning June 2022. Additionally, her work was selected for a public installation inside of a historic guardhouse in the Olympia and Granby Mill District of Columbia (summer 2022).

Artist statement

My art does not fit neatly into a box to be packaged, labeled, and mass-produced; it is something to be experienced and contemplated. I examine contemporary society through a lens of psycho-analysis by deconstructing everyday objects, actions, and experiences. This work often emerges on-site, composed of found items, mined from the surrounding area. I arrive equipped with only a color and the edge of an idea to learn from each place, situated in time, among its history and present day. The result invites viewers to enter the artwork as if stepping into a painting. This reality is separate from ordinary life and traditional art-viewing. Domestic imagery (home) serves as a metaphor for the mind, highlighting the social psyche as it relates place to the formation of identity. Emotional tendencies such as insecurity, dependence, and compulsion are present, as comforts of ordinary life, such as the couch or chair are personified. Object placement is crucial to my process, as this action exerts a need for control much like posturing the self in public space. Color is used to heighten mental awareness by evoking an emotional response. Feelings of nostalgia, flashes of past trauma, or a dreamlike state of déjà vu may occur. These installations are temporary; thus, placing attention on the present moment while confronting consumer culture. I implore viewer investigation and imagination to draw one's own conclusions.

About South Arts

South Arts advances Southern vitality through the arts. The nonprofit regional arts organization was founded in 1975 to build on the South’s unique heritage and enhance the public value of the arts. South Arts’ work responds to the arts environment and cultural trends with a regional perspective. South Arts offers an annual portfolio of activities designed to support the success of artists and arts providers in the South, address the needs of Southern communities through impactful arts-based programs, and celebrate the excellence, innovation, value and power of the arts of the South. For more information, visit www.southarts.org.

Jason Rapp

South Arts’ 2021 Southern Prize & State Fellows debut in S.C.

Traveling exhibition opens today in Columbia

[caption id="attachment_48982" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Marielle Plaisir | R. Bridges | In The Malediction of Cham Series | 2021 Printing on Duratrans, backlit transparent archival film | 63 x 43 in.[/caption]

Nine accomplished Southern artists—or some of their works, anyway—debut in Columbia today as part of a traveling exhibition to showcase South Arts' 2021 Southern Prize contenders.

Among them is Charleston's Fletcher Williams III (right) of #SCartists fame, the Southern Prize finalist (runner up) last year. The exhibition series, which fans out across the Southern states served by frequent SCAC partner and regional arts agency South Arts, began at 701 Center for Contemporary Art (701 Whaley St., second floor, Columbia) in 2019 (known affectionately at Hub HQ as "the before times"). It returns today beginning at 1 p.m. and runs through March 6, 2022. Williams, certainly, will draw much attention as a native son. Joining him are Southern Prize winner Marielle Plaisir of Florida, Tameca Cole of Alabama, Raheleh Filsoofi of Tennessee, Joyce Garner of Kentucky, Myra Greene of Georgia, Jewel Ham of North Carolina, Ming Ying Hong of Mississippi and artists duo Keith Calhoun and Chandra McCormick of Louisiana. South Arts rightfully lauds the 2021 cohort of state fellows is the most diverse group to date; of the six American-born artists, all but Garner are African American. Filsoofi is from Iran, Plaisir was born in France but has roots in Guadeloupe, and Hong was born in China but raised in Los Angeles. With COVID continuing to rage in South Carolina (perhaps plateauing? maybe?), 701 will not be holding an opening reception. The gallery hopes it can present a smattering of events to accompany the exhibition instead—details TBA. Presenting sponsors are Cyberwoven and BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina.

Jason Rapp

South Arts opens Southern Prize + State Fellowship apps

$80,000 in cash awards up for grabs

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Monday, January 10, 2022

They're back, y'all! The South Arts Southern Prize and State Fellowships acknowledge, support, and celebrate the highest quality artistic work being created in the American South.

The program is open to individual visual artists living in the South Arts region: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. South Arts is committed to practices and funding that create greater cultural equity, represent the diversity of our region, are inclusive of diverse voices and artistic expression, and are accessible to everyone. First, a group of nine state fellows will be selected through a two-tiered selection process by a national jury. Then, a second national jury will select the Southern Prize winner and finalist. Each state fellow automatically receives $5,000. The finalist receives $10,000 and winner receives $25,000, and both of those receive a two week residency at The Hambidge Center for the Creative Arts and Sciences. Jurors will make their selections based on artistic excellence that reflects and represents the diversity of the region. All nine artists selected as 2022 state fellows will also be featured in a touring exhibition opening next year at the Bo Bartlett Center for the Arts in Columbus, Georgia, and touring for up to 18 months (exact details are TBD). This program is open only to visual artists and will expand to other disciplines in the future. The application deadline is January 10, 2022.  #SCartists who are recent state fellows include Fletcher Williams III (a finalist), Kristi Ryba, Kate Hooray Osmond, and Herb Parker from the Charleston area and Virginia Scotchie from Columbia.

Jason Rapp

Fletcher Williams III named Southern Prize finalist

Big award, residency await

[caption id="attachment_46889" align="aligncenter" width="600"]Fletcher Williams III stands in his art studio among works in progress. Fletcher Williams III (Photo by Andrew Cebulka)[/caption]

At the fifth annual Southern Prize and State Fellowships Award Ceremony last evening, a South Carolina artist figured prominently.

While Florida artist Marielle Plaisir was named 2021 Southern Prize winner and received an award of $25,000, Charleston artist Fletcher Williams III was named Southern Prize Finalist and received a $10,000 award! Both Southern Prize recipients also receive a two-week residency at the Hambidge Center for the Creative Arts and Sciences. Both were chosen from among nine 2021 state fellows announced by South Arts in April. The Southern Prize and State Fellowships acknowledge and celebrate the highest quality artistic work being created in the American South. Each state fellow will be included in an exhibition at the Bo Bartlett Center at Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia from Aug. 20 to Dec. 20, 2021, and touring to additional locations in the region (dates/locations TBD) in 2022.

More about Fletcher Williams III

Bio

Fletcher Williams III (b. 1987) is a multidisciplinary artist working primarily in sculpture and painting. Williams received his BFA from The Cooper Union for the Advancement in Science and Art (2010). He maintained a studio practice in Long Island City, Queens, and later Crowns Heights, Brooklyn before returning to his hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, in 2013. Upon his return to Charleston, Williams remained an independent artist and began producing solo exhibitions throughout the City of Charleston and North Charleston, the latest being a site-wide solo exhibition, Promiseland (2020), at the Historic Aiken-Rhett House Museum.

Artist statement

My work engages the rituals and traditions of the American South. My interest in the way we seek to establish place and identity has prompted a working methodology that utilizes found and natural materials and an exhibition practice that incorporates public and historic sites. I often paint with Spanish moss, builds house-like structures with salvaged wood and tin roof, and fashion delicate sculptures out of handwoven palmetto roses. My approach is architectural and figural, tactile, and multi-sensory and unveils my curiosity for both people and place, material, and process. To view selected artworks, visit his page on SouthArts.org.

About South Arts

South Arts advances Southern vitality through the arts. The nonprofit regional arts organization was founded in 1975 to build on the South’s unique heritage and enhance the public value of the arts. South Arts’ work responds to the arts environment and cultural trends with a regional perspective. South Arts offers an annual portfolio of activities designed to support the success of artists and arts providers in the South, address the needs of Southern communities through impactful arts-based programs, and celebrate the excellence, innovation, value and power of the arts of the South. For more information, visit www.southarts.org.

Jason Rapp

South Arts names 2021 State Fellows

[caption id="attachment_46889" align="aligncenter" width="600"]Fletcher Williams III stands in his art studio among works in progress. Fletcher Williams III (Photo by Andrew Cebulka)[/caption]

South Arts has named the ten visual artists (eight individual artists and one team) receiving the 2021 State Fellowship awards.

Each fellowship—one per state in the South Arts region—comes with a cash award of $5,000 and inclusion in an exhibition opening this fall at the Bo Bartlett Center in Columbus, Georgia. The State Fellows are also now in consideration for the two larger Southern Prize awards. One fellowship recipient will be named the Southern Prize winner receiving an additional $25,000 cash award, and another fellow will be named the Southern Prize Finalist receiving an additional $10,000; both Southern Prize recipients will also receive a two-week residency at the Hambidge Center for the Creative Arts and Sciences. The two winners will be named at a virtual ceremony on June 17 celebrating the work of all ten State Fellows. The 2021 State Fellowship recipients are:
  • Tameca Cole. Mixed Media. Birmingham, Alabama.
  • Marielle Plaisir. Mixed Media. Hollywood, Florida.
  • Myra Greene. Craft. Atlanta, Georgia.
  • Joyce Garner. Painting. Prospect, Kentucky.
  • Chandra McCormick and Keith Calhoun. Photography. New Orleans, Louisiana.
  • Ming Ying Hong. Drawing. Starkville, Mississippi.
  • Jewel Ham. Painting. Huntersville, North Carolina.
  • Fletcher Williams III. Mixed Media. North Charleston, South Carolina.
  • Raheleh Filsoofi. Multidisciplinary. Nashville, Tennessee.
“The 2021 Southern Prize and State Fellowship recipients represent the amazing creativity of our region,” explained Susie Surkamer, President and CEO of South Arts. “Although they each speak with a unique voice through their work, their combined diversity is a great showcase of what it means to be an artist living, working, creating, and thriving in the South.” Launched in 2017, the Southern Prize and State Fellowships acknowledge, support, and celebrate the highest quality art being created in the South. More than 850 artists applied for consideration this past fall and winter, and jurors reviewed each application to recommend the State Fellowship recipients. Another national panel of jurors will review the State Fellows to determine the Southern Prize winner and finalist, both of whom will be named at a virtual ceremony in June 2021. Visual artists living in South Arts’ nine-state region and producing crafts, drawing, experimental, painting, photography, sculpture, mixed media, and multidisciplinary work were eligible to apply. To view work by the 2021 State Fellowship recipients and register to attend the June 17, 2021 Southern Prize ceremony, visit www.southarts.org. An exhibition featuring the 2021 Southern Prize and State Fellowship recipients will be open at the Bo Bartlett Center in Columbus, Georgia, from Aug. 20-Dec. 20, 2021.

More about Fletcher Williams III

Bio

Fletcher Williams III (b. 1987) is a multidisciplinary artist working primarily in sculpture and painting. Williams received his BFA from The Cooper Union for the Advancement in Science and Art (2010). He maintained a studio practice in Long Island City, Queens, and later Crowns Heights, Brooklyn before returning to his hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, in 2013. Upon his return to Charleston, Williams remained an independent artist and began producing solo exhibitions throughout the City of Charleston and North Charleston, the latest being a site-wide solo exhibition, Promiseland (2020), at the Historic Aiken-Rhett House Museum.

Artist statement

My work engages the rituals and traditions of the American South. My interest in the way we seek to establish place and identity has prompted a working methodology that utilizes found and natural materials and an exhibition practice that incorporates public and historic sites. I often paint with Spanish moss, builds house-like structures with salvaged wood and tin roof, and fashion delicate sculptures out of handwoven palmetto roses. My approach is architectural and figural, tactile, and multi-sensory and unveils my curiosity for both people and place, material, and process. To view selected artworks, visit his page on SouthArts.org.

About South Arts

South Arts advances Southern vitality through the arts. The nonprofit regional arts organization was founded in 1975 to build on the South’s unique heritage and enhance the public value of the arts. South Arts’ work responds to the arts environment and cultural trends with a regional perspective. South Arts offers an annual portfolio of activities designed to support the success of artists and arts providers in the South, address the needs of Southern communities through impactful arts-based programs, and celebrate the excellence, innovation, value and power of the arts of the South. For more information, visit www.southarts.org.

Jason Rapp

Important South Arts deadline coming up

Visual #SCartists eligible for up to $30,o00

[caption id="attachment_44629" align="aligncenter" width="600"]Kristi Ryba, the 2020 South Arts State Fellow from South Carolina, seated and painting in her studio. Kristi Ryba, the 2020 South Arts State Fellow from South Carolina, in her studio.[/caption]

Southern Prize and State Fellowships

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Monday, January 11, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. ET South Arts' Southern Prize and State Fellowships acknowledge, celebrate and support the highest quality artistic work created across our region. Nine artists living in AL, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, and TN will share $80,000 in cash awards. One artist per state will receive a State Fellowship of $5,000. Two State Fellows will receive the Southern Prize awards, with one Southern Prize finalist receiving an additional $10,000, and one Southern Prize winner receiving an additional $25,000. Both Southern Prize recipients also receive a two-week residency with The Hambidge Center for Creative Arts and Sciences. All nine artists will be featured in a touring exhibition in 2021, with dates/locations TBD depending on the status of the pandemic. This program is open to artists living in our region working in crafts, drawing, experimental, painting, photography, sculpture, mixed media, and multidisciplinary artforms. The jurors will make their selections based on artistic excellence that reflects and represents the diversity of the region. Applications for the 2021 Southern Prize and State Fellowships are now open. The deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. ET on January 11, 2021.

Jason Rapp

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