APSU’s CECA announces 2023-24 Tennessee Artist Fellow
By: Kara Zahn December 18, 2023
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – The Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts (CECA) at Austin Peay State University has announced the 2023-24 recipient of the Tennessee Artist Fellowship, artist Jonathan Adams of Knoxville, Tennessee.
Adams will receive $5,000 through the fellowship to aid in the creation of new artwork, along with additional funding to present an artist lecture this spring at the Frist Art Museum in Nashville.
“We are impressed with Adams’ work and how he excavates the psychological, symbolic
and social ghosts of contemporary Black life,” said the CECA Tennessee Artist Fellowship’s
selection committee in a statement. “These themes are set against the backdrop of
the culturally complex Appalachian region of the American South. Of note are his large-scale
drawings and performances based on his early experiences in the church, family drug abuse, systemic class racism and Southern mysticism.
His creative practice embodies the richness of Southern – or Tennessean - storytelling."
CECA’s 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. Rather, a committee of faculty from Austin Peay’s Department of Art + Design compiles a list of outstanding artists from across the state and selects the fellowship recipient.
“Since Austin Peay is the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts for the entire state of Tennessee, we wanted to find a way to support artists statewide,” said Professor Barry Jones, who chaired the Department of Art + Design when the fellowship was established. “There are an incredible number 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.”
Past recipients of the CECA Tennessee Artist Fellowship include Maysey Craddock of Memphis, Alicia Henry of Nashville, Andrew Scott Ross of Memphis, Benjy Russell of Dowelltown, Karen Seapker from Nashville, Ashton Ludden from Knoxville and Yancy Villa from Memphis.
To learn more about Jonathan Adams, visit his website or follow him on social media: IG @the_jonathanadams.
For more information on the CECA Tennessee Artist Fellowship, please contact Dr. Andrea Spofford, director of CECA, at spofforda@apsu.edu.
To stay informed about upcoming CECA events, including Adams’ upcoming artist talk, please visit www.apsu.edu/ceca or follow CECA on social media.