JACKSON — The Mississippi Museum of Art (the Museum) announces that The Jane Crater Hiatt Artist Fellowship, a grant of $20,000, has been awarded to Critz Campbell of West Point, whose artwork will be featured in the 2019 Mississippi Invitational June 29-Aug. 11 at the Museum in Jackson. The achievement will be recognized at a June 27 reception honoring all Invitational artists.
Administered through the Museum, the fellowship provides a unique study-and-travel scholarship to support an individual artist in the development and creation of art over a period of two years. Artists whose work is selected for the Invitational exhibition are eligible to apply for the grant in the year their work is chosen. Campbell is one of 23 artists chosen by guest curator Kimberli Gant for inclusion in this year’s presentation.
The fellowship recipient, chosen by panel of jurors, is required to donate one original work of art, created during the grant period, to the Museum’s permanent collection. When applying, artists must demonstrate how the award could influence the development and direction of their work. Artists may use the funds for the following objectives: to study with an individual artist or in a studio, workshop, or residency setting; to pursue projects which further artistic development and support the realization of specific creative ideas; to purchase supplies and equipment; to conduct research; and to travel.
“The idea for this fellowship grew from my years of listening to artists and learning what a difference mid-career travel and study can make in an artist’s vision, skill, and scope. I wanted to foster that and enhance the Mississippi Museum of Art’s relationship with artists living in the state,” said Hiatt.
About the artist
Campbell is an associate professor of sculpture at Mississippi State University where he currently teaches. Upon awarding Campbell his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) in 1990, the SAIC then designated him a post-graduate exchange student at the Arco Centro de Communicao Visual in Lisbon. That assignment was followed by two years at Penland School of Crafts in Penland, North Carolina, as a CORE student, and another two years studying furniture design at Parnham College in the United Kingdom.
With the fellowship funds, Campbell plans to travel to North Adams, Massachusetts; New York, New York; Barjac, France; and Barcelona and Bilbao, Spain to study the works of German painter and sculptor Anslem Kiefer, an artist whose work Campbell says has influenced his own since his first encounter with it while a college freshman studying in Chicago.
“The Fellowship is far more than the opportunity to research and reflect as an artist, it is a vehicle of encouragement and support for each of the Invitational participants,” said Campbell. “Being a part of the creative fabric of Mississippi is what I care about most. Receiving this level of affirmation and support from the Mississippi Museum of Art and Mrs. Hiatt is truly inspiring. I am anxious to see how my travel and reflection on the work of Anslem Kiefer impacts my work. I am honored that the Museum will bring one of these new works into their collection.”
On June 28 at 11 a.m., Invitational guest curator Gant will be joined by Hiatt, Campbell, and the 2016 fellow, Philip Jackson, for a panel discussion moderated by Roger Ward, the Museum’s chief curator.
The Invitational exhibition and its programming are free to the public.
The Mississippi Museum of Art is located at 380 S. Lamar St. in downtown Jackson. Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, noon-5 p.m.
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