Five North Texas Artists Chosen to Receive Grants to Support Studio Practices
The Nasher Sculpture Center announces the winners of the inaugural Nasher Sculpture Center Artist Microgrants, a program which provides twice-annual financial support to North Texas artists through the distribution of small-sum grants.
Chosen by a jury of Dallas-based artists Frances Bagley, Annette Lawrence, and John Pomara and the Chicago-based artist Tony Tasset, as well as Nasher Assistant Curator Leigh Arnold and Nasher Curator of Education Anna Smith, each spring 2015 awardee will receive $1000 to realize projects related to their studio practice. Another round of microgrants will be awarded in the fall.
“Artists are typically very resourceful in finding ways to bring their ideas to fruition,” says Director Jeremy Strick, “but since even the savviest artist sometimes can’t realize the hopes for a project without some outside financial assistance, the Nasher is proud to have initiated this microgrant program in support of our artist community. Need for this program was demonstrated by the large number of applications we received, and we’re grateful to our strong panel of jurors for their hard work in selecting an impressive group of talented artists to receive this first round of awards.”
The spring 2015 Nasher Microgrant awardees are:
Christopher Blay, Fort Worth. Blay plans to realize a video production and installation of the project Kara Walker Texas Ranger which considers the history of violence toward African Americans by police and other armed authorities. The project will be done in collaboration with New York puppeteers Lake Simons and Christopher Green.
Brick Haus Collective, Denton. Artists Rachel Fisher and Abby Sherrill will use funds to establish an artist-run incubator space in Denton which will include affordable studio spaces as well as opportunities for artists to collaborate and participate in exhibitions, performances and instructional workshops.
Celia Eberle, Dallas. Eberle has been using stone and natural materials in her work in recent years which require pneumatic tools to carve, so she plans to use her microgrant to purchase a new compressor to operate carving tools.
Jeff Gibbons, Arlington. Gibbons will use his funds to rent a studio space in Dallas and pay for the transport of his work to national and international exhibitions at this critical point in his career.
Margaret Meehan, Dallas. Meehan often uses clay in her artistic practice and has always had to rely on outside sources for the use of a kiln to fire the work. However, she recently was able to purchase a kiln, and she will put her Nasher microgrant funds toward hiring an electrician and purchasing an environmental vent to make it function safely in her studio.
The inaugural Nasher Microgrants are made possible by the generous support of Michael M. Corman and Kevin Fink, and Christen and Derek Wilson.