Duane Cyrus Selected as Guest Curator for Fall 2021 Exhibition at SECCA
WINSTON-SALEM—The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) announces a special exhibition with guest curator Duane Cyrus, coming to SECCA in Fall 2021. A Bessie Award nominated performer and a professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Duane Cyrus was selected as guest curator for the exhibition from a pool of more than 30 applicants. The exhibition is scheduled to open in mid-November in SECCA’s Main Gallery, and will remain on view through early 2022.
Desiree S. Evans announced as the Gulf South Writer in the Woods 2021-2022
NEW ORLEANS—New Orleans Center for the Gulf South and A Studio in the Woods welcome the Third Gulf South Writer in the Woods Desiree S. Evans. Gulf South Writer in the Woods is a residency program designed to support the creative work, scholarship, and community engagement of writers examining our region.
As a Louisiania native, Evans’ stories will be rooted in the bayou communities of the gulf south region. According to Evans, “Stories are my lifeblood, and for as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to use words to craft stories about my community – stories of the people I’ve known and loved and met all my life.”
Frist Art Museum Executive Director and CEO Dr. Susan H. Edwards Announces Plans for Retirement
NASHVILLE—Dr. Susan H. Edwards, Executive Director and CEO of the Frist Art Museum since 2004, notified the board members of her plans to retire within the year. The museum’s board will now begin the process of selecting her successor.
In her remarks, Dr. Edwards said, “As the Frist is always in a state of becoming, it is difficult to pinpoint a good moment to step down. During our 20th anniversary year, it seems an opportune moment to transition to the next generation of leadership. Serving the community, the mission, and the field in this position has been rewarding on every level. I remain ever grateful.”
North Carolina Museum of Art Hires Lauren Applebaum as Jim and Betty Becher Curator of American Art
RALEIGH—The North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) announces the appointment of Lauren Applebaum as curator of American Art. Applebaum previously worked at the NCMA on the 2018 exhibition The Beyond: Georgia O’Keeffe and Contemporary Art as a GSK Curatorial Fellow in American Art. She will start her position Monday, May 3. She will be responsible for researching and expanding the NCMA’s American art holdings and as part of the curatorial team will strive to have the collection reflect multiple perspectives and varying dimensions of diversity.
Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation Launches Second CreARTE Grants Program
MIAMI—The Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation has launched an open call for its second Pérez CreARTE Grants Program, which was established in 2019. The foundation will award over $1.5 million to cultural organizations in the greater Miami area. This grant cycle will focus on arts access, arts education, and artist fellowships and residencies.
Wiregrass Museum of Art to get consult from national museum alliance
DOTHAN—Wiregrass Museum of Art (WMA) has been selected to participate in the Museum Assessment Program (MAP), which is administered by the American Alliance of Museums. Through guided self-study assessment and on-site consultation with a museum professional, participation in MAP will empower Wiregrass Museum of Art to better serve the citizens of Dothan and the Wiregrass region by facilitating its meeting and exceeding the highest professional standards of the museum field.
C4 Atlanta Inc announces that the organization is immediately suspending all operations
ATLANTA—C4 Atlanta has announced that Covid-19 and other factors have made continuing impossible at this time. A message from their Board of Directors in an emailed statement says, “We are diligently working to ensure that the services our stakeholders and members have used the most will continue to be available. We have closed our physical space and will transfer our programming for the remainder of the year.”
In nearly eleven years, C4 Atlanta has served thousands of artists and their families. The organization was founded in July 2010 in response to a growing need for business services for Atlanta’s arts community. C4 Atlanta fulfills this mission by offering professional practice classes for artists, fiscal sponsorship, connecting artists to healthcare, co-working space, and more. With community support, C4 Atlanta regranted over $50,000 to artists in need at the start of the Pandemic.
Jessyca Holland, C4’s Executive Director states, “Along with my fellow board members, I assure you that we will continue to serve the mission until the end. We have talked to partners about taking over key programs and I will, with the blessing of C4 Atlanta Inc continue to teach professional development courses for artists in Atlanta and beyond.”
ArtFields Collective Announces 2021 Prize Winners
LAKE CITY, SC—ArtFields started in 2013 with the intention to honor the artists in the Southeast with a nine day celebration and competition while revitalizing a the small town of Lake City, South Carolina. The competition and exhibition offers over $100,000 in cash prizes. The winners of two People’s Choice Awards are determined by the votes of people visiting ArtFields; a panel of art professionals selects all the other awards, including the $50,000 Grand Prize and $25,000 Second Place award.
Up to 400 works of art were displayed in display in locally-owned venues throughout this year’s festival running from April 23 – May 1. The 2021 Grand Prize winner is Charles Eady, a Fairfax, SC native and mixed-media artist and author who paints the history of South Carolina. The Second Place award winner is textile artist Coulter Fussell. Born and raised in Columbus, GA, Fussell live in Water Valley, MS producing quilt-works using old, discarded and donated textiles as her sole materials. The two People’s Choice Award winners are William D. Massey, III for the 2D category, and Nik Botkin in the 3D category.
BILOXI—The transformative gift features prominent Black artists Leroy Almon, David Butler, Richard Dial, Thornton Dial, Minnie Evans, Roy Ferdinand, Sandy Hall, Clementine Hunter, Charlie Lucas, Juanita Rogers, Sulton Rogers, Welmon Sharlhorne, Herbert Singleton, Willie White, and Purvis Young; Native American artists, Silas and Bertha Claw, Betty Manygoats, Elizabeth Manygoats, Wallace Nez, and Lorraine Williams; and Southern potters, Burlon Craig, Cheever Meaders, and Lanier Meaders.
“All of the artists are new additions to the museum. We are extending the reach of our exhibitions to include more national and international artists,” said Ohr-O’Keefe’s Executive Director David Houston, “Mr. Bailey’s carefully organized gift greatly enhances our collection, and will anchor a new direction for the museum over the coming decades.”
The Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art seeks to preserve and promote the legacy of Biloxi potter George E. Ohr (1857-1918) and the diverse cultural heritage of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
