CECA announces 2018-2019 Tennessee Artist Fellow
(Posted Feb. 6, 2019)
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – The Austin Peay State University Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts (CECA) recently announce that Bryce McCloud, of Nashville, is the 2018-19 recipient of the 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 faculty compiles a list of outstanding artists from across the state and selects the fellowship recipient. Through CECA’s generous support, the selected artist receives $5,000 to aid in the creation of new artwork, and $2,000 for an artist lecture.
“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,” Barry Jones, interim dean of the APSU College of Arts and Letters, said. “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.”
McCloud is a studio/public artist and founder of Isle of Printing, a letterpress and fabrication shop located in Nashville.
According to the selection committee, members “were highly impressed with Bryce’s commitment to community-engaged work. His philosophy of making art accessible, engaging and supportive of local community is paramount in his public project Our Town, as well as his Nashville-based business, Isle of Printing. His Our Town project has been in fruition for several years now, and it continues to be an example of what is possible when combining art with public engagement. By pairing printmaking with portraiture, Our Town is a multi-layered project that allows the participants to become active lookers and see each other for who they really are; as individuals with individual characteristics. This continued engagement of bringing groups of people together through art is what made him the top choice for this year’s fellowship. We’re excited to support McCloud and his community-engaged art practice.”
As part of the CECA Tennessee Artist Fellowship, McCloud will give an artist lecture at 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 1, at the Frist Art Museum in Nashville This event, which is free and open to the public, is co-sponsored by CECA and the Frist.
Past recipients of the CECA Tennessee Artist Fellowship include Alicia Henry. Nashville; Maysey Craddock, Memphis; and Andrew Scott Ross, Johnson City.
For information on the fellowship, contact Janice Crews, CECA director, at crewsj@apsu.edu. To stay informed of upcoming CECA events, including McCloud’s upcoming artist talk, visit www.apsu.edu/ceca or follow CECA on social media.