Art Travel Grants Support International and National Residencies

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Sarah McCormick working on a project at VCUarts Summer Studio Program in Richmond, Virginia

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Department of Art in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences has awarded $32,000 to provide several students the opportunity to broaden their artistic education as a result of a generous gift from the Windgate Foundation. Ranging from projects in art history to sculpture to graphic design, students will spend the summer working with international scholars and artists across the globe to enhance their artistic practices and knowledge.

“These students have worked hard and have earned these travel grants through their academic and artistic merit,” said Jeannie Hulen, chair of the department. “Our hope is that studying around the country and internationally will broaden their perspective and enhance their research portfolios.  We are excited to see the benefits of investing in their studio practice.”

Sarah McCormick, a senior pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in sculpture, is attending VCUarts Summer Studio Program in Richmond, Virginia. The seven-week intensive curriculum combines seminars, studio visits, artist lectures, critiques, professional development and studio time.

“I am very excited about the level of ambition and conversation happening in this program,” McCormick said. “I've been thrown out of my comfort zone and given a taste of professional artist practice learning to become more self-driven and resourceful in an unfamiliar environment. Life in the sculpture studio has been a whirlwind of experimentation and thought-provoking dialogue and I am gleaning as much from the relationships I am building with fellow students as I am from the seminars and artist lectures.”

By immersing themselves in a different culture – whether across Arkansas or around the world – these students advance Sen. J. William Fulbright’s vision of peace through education by encouraging mutual understanding through their art. Twenty-two of McCormick’s fellow students will also travel for art programs this summer.

Samantha Hussey and Mikayla Hoffman will study at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. They will exhibit their work collectively in the Arrowmont main gallery and have opportunities to sell their work through Arrowmont’s Artist Outfitters Store.

Jon Cromer will study at Penland School of Crafts in Penland, North Carolina. The school offers workshops in books and paper, printmaking and letterpress, clay, drawing, glass, iron, metals, photography, textiles and wood.

Parker Boales will attend MFA Studio Berlin, an interdisciplinary six-week summer program in Berlin, Germany, designed to provide an integrated and residency-like experience for graduate course credit.

Katrina Rattermann will study at Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village, Colorado. The Artists-in-Residence Program is designed to encourage the creative, intellectual and personal growth of emerging and established visual artists.

Michael Ramirez will attend Mildred's Lane a Contemporary Art Complex(ity) in Narrowsburg, New York, collaborating on community art projects and exploring emerging spaces of cultural production and social practice.

Elise Rabourg will attend the Mount Gretna School of Art in Pennsylvania. This intensive summer program includes critics, lectures, workshops and museum trips.

Zoe Eagan will study at the Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts in Newcastle, Maine. The residency/retreat facility seeks to provide artists with time and space to create in clay. Raven Halfmoon will attend the Red Lodge Clay Center in Red Lodge, Montana. The center hosts visiting artist workshops, lectures, demonstrations, gallery exhibitions and educational programming to share the importance of art in everyday life.

Ann Tran will work at Thrive Design Studio in Helena, Arkansas, helping to achieve its mission of offering affordable strategic planning and marketing services to local small businesses and non-profits in the Delta.

Travis Keller will go to the Chautauqua School of Art in Chautauqua, New York, with a concentration on painting. This rigorous program focuses on intensive studio hours and collaboration with staff and visiting artists.

Natalie Brown will study both painting and sculpture at the Yale Summer School of Art in Norfolk, Connecticut. Her time will be spent exploring the possibilities of mixed media with various artists.

Ashley Byers, Shannon Airola, Joseph Burns, Alyssa Davis, Olivia Fredericksen, Erika Gamarra, McKenna Kraus, Shelby Nelson, Matthew Ronan, Megan Sebeck and Sarah Shepard will study at the University of Arkansas Rome Center in Italy. They will spend the summer immersed in Italian language and culture while studying Classic art.

The Windgate Charitable Foundation supports programs focused on arts and crafts, as well as on art history.