MIAMI—Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) announced the recipients of the second cycle of the Caribbean Cultural Institute Fellowship (CCI). With the support of The Mellon Foundation, PAMM’s CCI is a program that aims to advance the study of Caribbean art while providing opportunities for exchange and collaboration across the Caribbean region and its diasporic communities. Selected by a committee composed of PAMM Associate Curator Jennifer Inacio, PAMM Director of Education Marie Vickles, PAMM CCI Coordinator Iberia Pérez Gonzalez, and PAMM Curator María Elena Ortiz, two artists and two researchers have been invited to expand their practice and research throughout the next year with the support of PAMM’s institutional resources.
The recipients of the second CCI Fellowship are artists Monica Sorelle and Eliazar Ortiz, and researchers Erica Moiah James and Jessica Taylor. This year’s fellowship was expanded to include both international and Florida-based artists and researchers selected from an open call. Burnaway asked PAMM Curator Maria Elena Ortiz how the Institute plans engage the community and public programming. “We are partnering with local organizations in the Miami community to provide studio spaces for artists, as well as engaging with researchers with local universities to further strengthen Caribbean scholarship in the city,” Ortiz shared. “We consider this program an essential tool for community engagement and collaborations in Miami.”
South Arts and Ford Foundation introduce new program ‘Southern Cultural Treasures’
ATLANTA—In partnership with the Ford Foundation, South Arts will provide $6 million in support to arts and cultural organizations led by and serving Black, Indigenous, and communities of color throughout the Southeast. South Arts’ purpose in developing the Southern Cultural Treasures Program is to acknowledge and honor the diversity of artistic expression and excellence of arts and cultural organizations led by and serving people of color in the South Arts region.
The Southern Cultural Treasures Program will support the long-term stability and resiliency of organizations that contribute to the history, culture, and vitality of the nine-state South Arts region. The grant period is anticipated to run between April 2022 until March 2025 and support roughly fifteen organizations by providing each with operating grants of up to $300,000 distributed over three years, project grants of up to $7,500, and support in networking and cohort building.
The University of Arkansas School of Art launches Arkansas’ first art education graduate program
FAYETTEVILLE, AR—The University of Arkansas School of Art will offer a new Master of Arts in art education degree beginning in fall 2022. This new program will be the first graduate-level art education program offered in the state of Arkansas.
“The School of Art is proud to present the Master of Arts in art education degree to the state, region and beyond,” said Gerry Snyder, executive director of the School of Art. “We are particularly honored to establish a new graduate program that provides Arkansas art educators access to graduate study in art education within their home state. The dedicated art education faculty have designed the program to further propel the field of art education and expand the depth of how it is practiced.”
The Master of Arts degree program is a two-year residency and seeks to attract artist educators, teaching artists and museum educators working in schools, museums and the community. Thanks to a generous gift from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation in 2017, all graduate students accepted into the program will receive funding support during the two years of study.
Georgia Council for the Arts awards sixty-seven organizations $600,000 in grant funding
ATLANTA—Georgia Council for the Arts, a division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, today announced the recipients of the Vibrant Communities and Cultural Facilities grant awards for fiscal year 2022. The Vibrant Communities Grant supports a variety of arts programming opportunities throughout the state, and the Cultural Facilities Grant supports the restoration or renovation of a building to be used for arts programming. Sixty-seven entities in fifty counties will receive $600,000 in funding as part of this year’s awards.
“The arts are the soul of who we are as Georgians and play a significant role in the strength of our economy and vitality of our communities. They contribute to our rich culture and our thriving economy, providing opportunities and experiences along with thousands of jobs,” said Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson. “As economic recovery from COVID-19 continues, we are pleased to congratulate the recipients of this year’s Vibrant Communities and Cultural Facilities grants. I look forward to seeing this funding put to use to preserve and restore facilities and bolster the impactful work of arts programming in every corner of the state.”
Deidrea Miller to be Head of Communications at Christie’s Americas
NEW YORK—Christie’s has announced the appointment of Deidrea Miller as Head of Communications for Christie’s Americas, based in New York. Miller brings to Christie’s fifteen years of experience providing strategic counsel and issues management to leaders in the arts and culture, energy, higher education, and public sectors. Previously she was a Director with Brunswick Arts in New York, where she advised cultural organizations, art institutions, and luxury brands. Before joining Brunswick Arts, Miller was Deputy Communications Director to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Miller was raised in Alabama and earned her BA in history from the University of Michigan and her MA in marketing from the University of Melbourne in Australia. She serves on the boards of Scenic Hudson and Socrates Sculpture Park and has previously served on the boards of The Shed and the University of Melbourne. “From an early age, I felt a deep appreciation for art and a passion for understanding its history and have always looked to Christie’s as a leader in the arts field,” said Miller. “I’m incredibly excited to join Christie’s under the leadership of Bonnie and Guillaume as the business is seeking to communicate its sales and heritage in a more accessible way.”
Brian Holcombe named the curator for Virginia Tech’s Moss Arts Center
BLACKSBURG, VA—With experience spanning nearly two decades in the visual arts, Brian Holcombe joins Virginia Tech’s Moss Arts Center as its curator, leading the center’s year-round program of art exhibitions and related educational and engagement activities in its galleries and public spaces.
In 2002 Holcombe founded Saltworks, a groundbreaking contemporary art gallery in Atlanta, Georgia, and served as the gallery’s director and curator for twelve years. Saltworks quickly established itself as a preeminent gallery for emerging to mid-career interdisciplinary artists in the Southeast and served as an inclusive platform that introduced global perspectives to the Atlanta community through curatorial collaborations and initiatives.
“We are thrilled to have Brian joining the Moss Arts Center at this time,” said Ruth Waalkes, Virginia Tech’s associate provost for the arts and executive director of the Moss Arts Center. “With his experience and networks in the field, we will build on the exceptional record of visual arts programming already established here, and forge new relationships with and among Virginia Tech faculty, students, artists, and our wider community. I’m looking forward to working with Brian to increase the presence and impact of the arts across the campus, beyond the Moss Arts Center’s walls, in new and exciting ways.”
ATLANTA—The High has announced the 2021-2022 class of fellows designated for The Andrew W. Mellon Undergraduate Curatorial Fellowship Program, a partnership between the High and five other U.S. museums: the Art Institute of Chicago, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The fellowship provides specialized training to students across the United States from historically underrepresented groups in the curatorial field who support the goal of promoting inclusive, pluralistic museums.
The 2021-2022 fellows at the High Museum of Art are: Nailah Barnes, Spelman College; curatorial mentor: Katherine Jentleson, Merrie and Dan Boone Curator of Folk and Self-Taught Art. Sojourner Hunt, Emory University; curatorial mentor: Stephanie Heydt, Margaret and Terry Stent Curator of American Art. Nyaradzai Mahachi, Auburn University at Montgomery; curatorial mentor: Lauren Tate Baeza, Fred and Rita Richman Curator of African Art. The High fellows began their work at the Museum this fall.
