Exciting fellowship opportunity for Greenville-based artists
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Friday, July 7, 2023
It's that time again, and The Hub is here for it.
Greenville Center for Creative Arts is seeking artists to apply for the exciting 2023/2024 Brandon Fellowship, a high-profile, 12-month program from September 2023 to August 2024 that aims to develop three emerging artists between the ages of 21-30 who represent the diversity of Greenville's art community.
Successful candidates are visual artists who are eager to advance their careers as working artists, and who demonstrate promising talent, self-motivation, and goal orientation. The Fellowship provides a supportive environment, mentorship, professional development, and visual art education.
The three main goals of the Brandon Fellowship are:
- To help young, emerging artists launch their careers
- To foster a sense of community
- To reflect the diversity of Greenville artists
From left to right: Faith Hudgens, Orlando Corona, RaAmen Stallings. The 2022/2023 Brandon Fellows showcase their live painting skills at Artisphere's Artist on the Rise tent.[/caption]
Eligibility
- Applicants must be between 21 and 30 years of age by the end of the application period.
- Prior professional art training or post-secondary education is not required.
- Applicants should be eager to advance their careers as working artists, and they must demonstrate promising talent, self-motivation, and goal-orientation.
- At the time of application, the applicant must be a citizen of the United States or a lawful permanent resident for at least 5 years.
- Selection will be made without regard to marital status, sexual orientation, religion, or disability.
- You are committed to working around 20 hours per week in your GCCA studio.
Benefits
- A free university-style studio at GCCA, where a minimum of 20 hours per week must be spent working. Fellows often interact with guests during GCCA’s public hours.
- A $500 stipend for art supplies.
- Complimentary classes and workshops at GCCA.
- Mentorship from local artists including monthly critiques and advice about applying for a juried show while in the fellowship.
- Participation in an exhibition in August-September including presentation of an ARTalk.
- Opportunities for networking, collaboration, and participation in other local arts events.
- Broad exposure as an artist in Greenville and beyond including managing a social media takeover of GCCA’s social platforms.
After graduating in 1988 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting from Savannah College of Art and Design, she adventured up to Alaska for several years with her husband. With the diagnoses of autoimmune diseases, including Sjogren’s Syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, and Reynaud’s disease, Catherine found herself unable to pursue her art aspirations. Although affected by chronic illness, she started the next stage of her life as a homemaker and a mother in South Carolina while battling liver, kidney, and digestive diseases.
When Catherine entered her fifties, her health progressively worsened. Even though her doctors diligently treated symptom after symptom, they were unable to pinpoint the cause. As months turned into years, Catherine isolated herself from her family and community. Her only solace was the woods behind her house.
“Witnessing the changing of the seasons was inspiring to me. A dead, fallen tree might find itself home to a luscious carpet of moss. A small trickle of water during the summer might turn into a moving stream come fall,” Catherine remembers. “Nature had a way of rejuvenating itself, which brought me hope that my body and spirit might find itself revitalized during a new season.”
Everywhere Catherine looked in nature, she saw an organic shape that she had first started exploring visually while in art school. Described by others as visually similar to a nest, fruit, seed, cell, oyster, egg, or womb, she realized that she identified this nascent and amorphous shape with hope and possibility. She picked up the paintbrush once again to explore these thoughts and emotions. After a nearly 30-year hiatus from creating art, during the throes of COVID-19, Catherine resumed her art career.
At first, she faced more troubles than she expected.
“Because I had been afflicted with a series of strokes due to cardiac issues, my early works in 2018 and 2019 are full of frustration: the paintbrush in my hand would not go where I wanted it to go; blind spots in my vision meant that I would paint over my work accidentally.” Despite this, Catherine persevered and continued to explore nature’s promises of restoration in her art.
In 2020, Catherine spent over 40 days in the hospital after open heart surgery. Following that, the long process of recovery began. Catherine started painting almost every day, finding her art an integral part of her physical and spiritual recovery. Beginning in 2021, her paintings took on a new and vivid perspective of nature, filled with bright colors and enthusiasm.
Over the last two years, Catherine's works have been featured in shows at the Piccolo Spoleto Juried Art Show, the Trask Gallery of the National Arts Club, South Carolina Juried Art Show, Southworks National Juried Art Exhibition, the Rocky Mount National Juried Art Show, the Macon Arts Gallery, the Spartanburg Public Library, the South Carolina State Fair, and the Artists’ Guild of Spartanburg, among others. She is a member of the National Association for Women Artists (NAWA), NAWA’s South Carolina chapter, and the Spartanburg Artists’ Guild.
When asked about her expectations for her future art career, Catherine simply hopes that her artwork can encourage others. “Due to the miracle of modern medicine, people are asking themselves: What happens when I can no longer physically be who I used to be? I have frequently asked this question myself.”
Instead of allowing emotions to fester into fears, Catherine takes this insecurity about her health and turns it into something productive. She explores the emotions of recovery, faith, change, and growth. Her works are a testament to the healing power of art, as well as the tenacity of the human spirit.
The Hub thought these were worth sharing to readers...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Innovate Grant awards two (2) $550.00 grants each quarter, to one visual artist and one photographer. In addition, (6) honorable mentions (3 in art and 3 in photo), will be featured and recognized on our website and join a growing community of vibrant and talented artists. Innovate Grant's commitment extends beyond the grant cycle by promoting the work of selected winners and honorable mentions into the future. For more information and to apply visit