CECA Tennessee Artist Fellowship

The CECA Tennessee Artist Fellowship was created to celebrate contemporary art, and to support the continued creative work of exceptional Tennessee artists. Unlike other fellowships, nominations and applications from artists are not solicited. A committee of APSU Art + Design faculty compiles a list of outstanding artists from across the state and selects the fellowship recipient. Through the generous support of the Center of Excellence in the Creative Arts (CECA), the selected artist receives $5,000 to aid in the creation of new artwork.

“Since APSU is the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts for the entire state of Tennessee, we wanted to find a way to support artists state-wide,” said Barry Jones, who was chair of the APSU Department of Art and Design at the time the fellowship was established. “There is an incredible amount of amazing artists here, but unfortunately there isn’t much financial support for them. We hope that this fellowship helps a Tennessee artist maintain their practice and to know that we support what they are doing.”

2026-2027 Recipient: Briena Harmening

The Department of Art + Design, in collaboration with The Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts at Austin Peay State University, has announced the 2026-2027 Tennessee Artist Fellowship recipient, visual artist Briena Harmening of Nashville, Tennessee. 

Through this fellowship, Harmening will receive $5,000 to create new artwork and additional funding to present a free artist lecture at 6:30 p.m. on April 8, at the Frist Art Museum in Nashville.  

"I use textiles to explore autobiography, politics, labor, and Southerness. I transform everyday and discarded materials like quilts, bedsheets, afghans, yard tarps, and clothing through sewing, quilting, screen printing, and other textile processes,” Harmening explains in her artist’s statement. "Text, humor, and Southern vernacular run through much of my work. I pull phrases from family sayings, conversations, politics, and everyday life, using repetition, spacing, layering, and masking to turn familiar language into something slightly strange. I am interested in that space between humor and discomfort, recognition and disorientation.” 

The CECA Tennessee Artist Fellowship celebrates contemporary art and supports the continued creative work of exceptional Tennessee artists like Harmening. Unlike other fellowships, nominations and applications from artists are not solicited. An APSU faculty committee compiles a list of outstanding artists from across the state and selects the fellowship recipient. 

Of Harmening's work, the selection committee states: “In addition to Harmening’s prolific artistic and professional practice, she is also a high school art teacher. The voting members agreed that it is important to recognize and support the contribution and service provided by our pre-college public educators.”