Read More News

 

Pratt Fine Arts Center Announces Scholarship and Awards Recipients
 

SEATTLE, WASH – Pratt Fine Arts Center announced today the names of its 2017-18 Scholarship and Awards recipients. The awards provide educational and studio access opportunities for artists working in a variety of artistic disciplines and at many different career levels.
 

“As we celebrate Pratt’s 40th anniversary this year, our scholarship and awards program demonstrates our continued commitment to making art accessible to all," said Steve Galatro, Pratt Fine Arts Center’s Executive Director. "By supporting this group of talented local artists, Pratt aims to further enrich Seattle’s vibrant and growing arts community”.
 

Pratt Fine Arts Center’s 2017-18 Scholarship and Awards recipients are:
 

ArtBridge Fellowship: Alexander Keyes

In partnership with Chihuly Garden and Glass and METHOD Gallery, the ArtBridge Fellowship fosters the creation and exhibition of new work from a promising talent, and equips that artist with the tools to advance to the next level in his/her professional journey. The Fellowship culminates with a solo exhibition at METHOD Gallery.
 

Alexander Keyes' work will explore the self-described process of speculative mapping: the study of daydreaming. His daydreams revolve around a desire for an escape to the sea and during his fellowship year, Alexander aims to learn fabrication methods and build fragments of sea monsters, common in today’s popular culture.
 

Edwin T. Pratt Scholarship: Etsuko Ichikawa, Tara Tamaribuchi

The Edwin T. Pratt Scholarship aims to amplify the work of underrepresented artists of color and equip them with education and tools that will help them progress to the next level in their professional journeys.
 

Inspired by the Fukushima nuclear disaster that occurred in her home country of Japan in 2011, Etsuko Ichikawa hopes to develop a new body of work that uses art as a social and civic instrument. During her scholarship year, she will work on the three projects: a room-size bronze installation; a series of kiln cast glass pieces inspired by Jomon pottery, the ancient Japanese earthenware; and the creation of hand-cast paper sculptures using the various molds she will create for the bronze and glass cast.
 

Tara Tamaribuchi is interested in further studying Han Dynasty Funerary Art. As part of her scholarship, she plans to make a gallery installation of contemporary versions of Han funerary art pieces for her former self —before she became a mother. The concept of creating funerary art for this former self is to accept who she once was, memorialize her, and bring closure to someone she no longer is.
 

Jon and Mary Shirley Scholarship in Glass: Sayuri Fukuda, Austin Stern

Generously funded by the Jon & Mary Shirley Foundation, this scholarship is awarded to emerging artists who wish to pursue new or experimental directions in glass art.
 

Sayuri Fukuda aims to work with glass as a way to relate to local people and learn more about the culture in Seattle. Because people are very effected by sky light in this geographic location, Sayuri is interested in the contrast of light and shadow as a reflection of her new experience in this part of the world and how it reflects a wide variety of emotions. By using this scholarship opportunity, she will experiment with color application in glass and the optical illusion created by clear glass, as well as the combination of sharp and soft shapes.
 

Austin Stern will use the scholarship as an opportunity to explore new methods and stylistic formats for his current body of work. For that purpose, he will explore a new iteration of traditional window glass making techniques that will help him bring his creative voice into an unexplored area of glass and learn new techniques that will help him to push his work into exciting new places.
 

Professional Artist-in-Residence Program: Tom DeGroot

Supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Professional Artist-in-Residence Program provides established artists the opportunity to use Pratt’s specialized studios to explore new artistic endeavors during a month-long residency. The recipient will be featured in a free public lecture and exhibit work at Pratt or a partner venue.
 

Tom DeGroot plans to create unique serigraphs utilizing ellipses, nested curves, crosshairs and perpendicular lines as motifs, working on an 18-inch square format with a central image area of 10 inches per side to arbitrarily rotate the stock for each impression while still maintaining registration. Using these processes will yield a rich variety of thematically linked prints that Tom will edit into a cohesive body of work and showcase in an upcoming solo show at Traver Gallery.
 

Pratt/Seattle Print Arts Partners Grant: Jueun Shin

Offered in partnership with Seattle Print Arts (SPA), the Pratt/SPA Partners Grant provides opportunity for a printmaker who aims to refine skills or pursue new directions in the discipline.
 

Jueun Shin will use the grant to work on her Under Water print making series, which will explore Korean art heritage and her childhood memories. Jueun will visit Korea to conduct research and get materials for paper sculptures to explore print techniques that can be matched with paper sculpture and make larger scale works. Her motifs will be living water creatures; through restrained image and color, she aims to inspire viewers to interpret her art in their own way.
 

Pratt/ Seattle Metals Guild Partners Grant: Jean Shaffer

Offered in partnership with Seattle Metals Guild (SMG), the Pratt/SMG Partners Grant is designed to supporta metal artist who aims to refine skills or pursue new directions in the discipline.
 

Jean Shaffer will work to enhance her artistic development and incorporate dichroic glass cabochons that will allow her to experiment with the light and color shifts that dichroic glass offers, as well as its patterns and color combinations. She will also explore glass kilnworking to better understand the processes for making dichroic glass cabochons and learning how to make her own glass pieces for incorporation into her metalwork.
 

Lillian Yeh Scholarship for Lifelong Artists: Cyrra Robinson

This scholarship is intended to supplement a college-level education by deepening a young person’s artistic educational experience specifically in the disciplines of painting/drawing or jewelry/metalsmithing. Generously supported by the family and friends of Lillian Yeh.
 

Cyrra Robinson plans to continue exploring metalsmithing techniques to integrate and transform her sculptural themes into jewelry. Her forms encourage a three-fold experience, where the sculpture is intriguing when seen from afar, enticing the viewer to come closer to her work. Upon further examination the viewer will discover detailed surprises such as mirror finished surfaces, ornate textures, and patina surfaces. She will also continue developing her fine metal skills, to enliven these more intimate experiences that the viewer has when they take a closer look at her work.
 

Theresa Jane Teen Scholarship: Lindsey Hansen
This scholarship provides glass instruction, professional mentorship and portfolio development to a High School student in her sophomore or junior year, supporting the creation of a body of work and encouraging her goal of becoming a professional glass artist. This scholarship is generously funded through the Theresa Jane Fund.
 

Lindsey Hansen hopes to establish her own style and work on various skills that will allow her to develop her creative identity while also making connections with other artists. Lindsey hopes that by working with a mentor, she will hold herself to a higher standard of hard work and creativity.