Artaxis Fellowship • Artaxis.org

The Call for Applicants for the 6th annual Artaxis Fellowship closed on January 16th. This year, we will again be offering two fellowships. Each one is worth up to $2,000 to fund a two-week summer workshop in ceramics at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. The fellowships will cover room, board, and tuition for a two-week workshop, and up to $500 for travel to and from Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine, USA.

The Fellowship is intended to increase diversity, equity, and access across the field of the ceramic arts. In particular, attention will be paid to race, gender, and socio-economic status, with unique circumstances such as wartime military service, medical conditions, and unconventional family structures also considered. Therefore, Artaxis encourages artists of diverse backgrounds and experiences to apply.

The 2022 Fellowship Selection Committee is comprised of: Ashlyn Pope, April Felipe, and Shoji Satake. After an initial round of reviews by the Artaxis Board of Directors, our distinguished Fellowship Selection Committee will choose the final recipients for the 2022 Fellowship.

Eligibility:

Artists 18 years of age or older, at any stage of their career. Applicant does not need to be a student.
Applicant can not be an Artaxis member. If you have already been accepted to Artaxis, you are not eligible for the fellowship.
Artists must demonstrate financial need in their letter of intent.
The Fellowship is designed to offer an experience that would otherwise not be possible for the Nominee. To that end, any applicant who has attended numerous workshops, residencies, or similar experiences will not be considered “in need”.
This Fellowship is open to US-based and international applicants. Artaxis will provide international applicants with letters of invitation, but cannot offer additional funding or support with acquiring a visa.
Haystack will be requiring proof of Covid-19 vaccination for all summer workshop attendees.
Artaxis often asks Fellows to be involved in programming to help promote the fellow, their work, and the Artaxis Fellowship. If selected for the Fellowship, you agree to be involved when asked.

The 2022 Artaxis Fellowship is supported by Artaxis members and funded by Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in an effort to nurture talent within creatively driven individuals by offering financial support to underrepresented artists.

If you have any questions, please email us at contactartaxis@gmail.com.

Photo credit: Amanda Kowalski

Aerial view of Haystack campus. (image by Chris Maddox)

Meet our 2022 Artaxis Fellowship Selection Committee:

Ashlyn Pope

Ashlyn Pope is an African American artist of Gullah descent mainly working with ceramics and textiles. Clay became instrumental in her work while attending Kennesaw State University where she earned her BFA in Ceramics and Printmaking. She went on to complete her Master’s degree in Ceramics at Pennsylvania State University. Ashlyn has always been inspired to serve in her community as an advocate for diverse representation and young people in the arts. She used her passion to serve as Student Director-at-large for NCECA from 2018-2020. Currently, Ashlyn is a Professor at Coastal Carolina University.

April Felipe

April Felipe was born in, Queens, New York. She received her B.F.A from Alfred University and her M.F.A in Ceramics from Ohio University. April, taught at Ohio State University and Ohio University. In 2017 she was named one of Ceramic Monthly’s Emerging Artist and began a ceramic jewelry line babyGrapes Designs that are carried in galleries though out the United States. She has participated in residencies at Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts and The Archie Bray Foundation. April is a Co-Founder of The Color Network.org. She has set down roots in Albany, Ohio with a home studio.

Shoji Satake

Shoji Satake is the J.Bernard Schultz Endowed Professor of Art and area head of ceramics at West Virginia University School of Art & Design. Shoji has conducted workshops, given lectures and exhibited nationally and internationally. His most recent activities have been included in the 2017 Whitney Biennial, group exhibition at Red Lodge Cay Center, and a solo exhibition at the Eutectic Gallery. He is a member of the International Academy of Ceramics. Shoji in addition to teaching, maintains an active studio practice with studios in West Virginia and Jingdezhen, China. Shoji will serve on the NCECA Board of Directors as the President 2024-2026.

Click here to learn more about Haystack

The 2022 Artaxis Fellowship is generously supported by Haystack Mountain School of Crafts.

Haystack Mountain School of Crafts is an international craft school located on the Atlantic Ocean in Deer Isle, Maine.

The school was founded in 1950, as a research and studio program in the arts, and offers intensive studio based workshops in a variety of media. Haystack also functions as a ‘think-tank’ in looking at craft—publishing annual monographs, and organizing retreats, conferences, and symposia that examine the field in broader contexts. The campus was designed by noted architect Edward Larrabee Barnes, and was recognized with the twenty-five year award by the American Institute of Architects, one of only forty eight buildings in the United States to receive this distinction.

“Coming here is a freeing experience — free from the world, free from conventional ways of teaching and most importantly free from the distractions that keep us from interacting with new people.” – Suranga DeSilva

“The experience is extraordinarily different, very intense. You know that you are on a voyage with other people for a defined time. This gives you the freedom to take risks.” – Cynthia Schira

“Participating in Session 5 last summer was one of the most wonderful experiences I have ever had. The community, setting, architecture, and focus of the group was truly inspiring. I came home with new ideas about, and new approaches to, my work that have sustained me all year.” – Warren Anderson

Artaxis Conversations with Nyasha Madamombe and Nicole McLaughlin:

Listen to an Artaxis Conversations interview with Artaxis Board President, Bobby Tso and our 2020 Artaxis Fellows, Nyasha Madamombe and Nicole McLaughlin.

Meet 2020 Artaxis Fellow, Nyasha Madamombe:

Nyasha Madamombe, one of the 2020 Artaxis Fellows, will complete a two week summer residency at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine during the summer of 2022.

Nyasha Madamombe, a boundary-breaking interdisciplinary artist, combines tradition and technology to tell the untold story of the collective African experience. The ability to move between disciplines allows her to examine and spotlight issues related to collective memory, tradition, the spiritual and the modern with flexibility. Nyasha’s work has been exhibited internationally, including at the National Art Gallery in the Zimbabwean capital Harare, in Johannesburg, Tennessee, Louisiana and Michigan to wide acclaim. She is a recipient of the 2020 Artaxis Fellowship and the 2021 NCECA Multicultural Fellowship. Nyasha received her Master of Fine Arts at the University of Tennessee Knoxville and her Bachelor of Fine Arts, with a concentration in Stone Sculpture, at the Chinhoyi University of Technology in Zimbabwe. Nyasha is based in Brooklyn, New York.

Learn more about Nyasha here: https://nyashamadamombe.com/

Meet 2020 Artaxis Fellow, Nicole McLaughlin:

Nicole McLaughlin, one of the 2020 Artaxis Fellows, will complete a two week summer residency at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine during the summer of 2022.

Nicole McLaughlin was born and raised in Massachusetts but spent much of her early childhood in Mexico. As a first generation Mexican-American, she is heavily influenced by her multicultural upbringing and her childhood memories of visiting her mother’s home town of Cuernavaca, Mexico. Nicole received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Kansas City Art Institute in Kansas City, MO. She has exhibited nationally, internationally, and has work in several private collections. Currently, she serves as the Ceramics Teaching Fellow at Tabor Academy in Marion, MA. Nicole continues to draw inspiration from Mexican ceramics, textiles, and cultural traditions in hopes of showing how her life has been shaped by a collision of two cultures.

Learn more about Nicole here: https://www.nicoleamclaughlin.com/

Meet 2019 Artaxis Fellow, Moises Salazar:

Moises Salazar, one of the 2019 Artaxis Fellows, completed a two week summer residency at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine.

Moises Salazar is a non-binary queer artist from in Chicago. They currently attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago Undergraduate Program were they primarily focus in ceramic sculpture and painting. Being born queer and to immigrant parents has cemented a conflict within Moises Salazar’s political identity, which is the conceptual focus of their practice. The work of Moises Salazar is meant to to showcase the trauma, history, and current state that undocumented immigrants and queer folk face. It is by examining the intersections of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, queerness and the United States history that Moises Salazar addresses the reality of the barriers that immigrants and queer individuals face with the intention to begin to dismantle the myths and stereotypes used to criminalize and dehumanize them.

Learn more about Moises Salazar and their work here: https://www.moisessalazar.com/

Meet 2019 Artaxis Fellow, Donté Hayes:

Donté Hayes, one of the 2018 Artaxis Fellows, completed a two week summer residency at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine.

The opportunity to attend Haystack Mountain School of Crafts would not have been possible without Artaxis and Haystack creating this fellowship. The beautiful and magical surroundings at Haystack inspires you to enjoy nature and be intune with your creative soul. I had the pleasure of participating during Linda Lopez colored porcelain workshop. The workshop took my artwork outside of my comfort zone and allowed me to explore and experiment without criticism. The community in the workshop was so positive and pushed you to think differently about your work and to engage with your fellow artists. Everyday I was inspired by visiting the other studios and the powerful conversations during breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Haystack is truly a magical place. Thank you Artaxis and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts for welcome me home.

Learn more about Donté Hayes here: https://dontekhayes.com/

Meet 2018 Artaxis Fellow, Raven Halfmoon:

Raven Halfmoon portrait for Artaxis Fellowship page

Raven Halfmoon, one of the 2018 Artaxis Fellows, completed a two week summer residency at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine.

I have been focused on producing a body of work that reflects how I feel both as a woman and an American Indian living in the 21st Century. In this body of work, I strive to illustrate how I feel about the ancient legacy of my heritage while at the same time acknowledge the modern day and age. Each piece reflects my understanding and interpretation of Caddo tribal culture and the fight to maintain a place for it in today’s world. With my work, I hope to create awareness and address issues that affect people who share a similar story. Through my installations, I hope to tell a story both of how one understands self and culture, but also what defines these ideals in America today.

Learn more about Raven Halfmoon and her work here: http://www.ravenhalfmoon.com/

Meet 2018 Artaxis Fellow, Kathy Garcia:

Kathy Garcia portrait for Artaxis Fellowship page

Kathy Garcia, one of the 2018 Artaxis Fellows, completed a two week summer residency at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine.

In Mexican culture, there is one thing that is cherished above everything, and that is familia. With these thoughts in mind, I have always had a great admiration for the adults in my familia and the struggles they had to face, whether that be living under hardship in Mexico or making the difficult choice of immigrating to the United States. I strive to show this respect for my elders through my work, sometimes being as simple as a portrait of them. This workshop was a great next step for me to continue learning and improving. This fellowship truly helped me challenge and develop my work further.

Learn more about Kathy Garcia and her work here: http://www.kathy-garcia.com/

Meet 2017 Artaxis Fellow, Soe Yu Nwe:

Soe Yu Nwe working at Haystack

Soe Yu Nwe, the 2017 Artaxis Fellow, completed a two week summer residency at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine.

Participating at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts as an Artaxis Fellow has enriched my experience as a maker. I started exploring new ways of making, creating forms which are outside my body of work. The creative and supportive environment during the workshop led by Ann Agee and the stunning landscape of Maine inspired a new aesthetic. My work became more playful and light hearted, deviating from the previous pain-ridden sculptures that narrate alienation and confusion as a cultural outsider. Because of this fellowship, the financial burden placed on me to pursue my artistic career was reduced and I was able to fly from my home country, Myanmar to USA to participate in this amazing workshop at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts.

Learn more about Soe Yu Nwe and her work here: https://www.soeyunwe.com/

Meet 2016 Artaxis Fellow, Natalia Arbalaez:

Natalia Arbelaez working at Watershed

Natalia Arbelaez, the 2016 Inaugural Artaxis Fellow, completed a two week summer residency at Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts in Newcastle, Maine.

“I came to Watershed with no plans, no material, and some tools. I was looking to change things up in my work and wanted to make sure I tried new things. This fellowship allowed me to be surrounded by new ideas, different materials, and resources. With an open mind and new environment I had the opportunity to work with Watershed’s beautiful racked hillside earthenware brick clay. Working with the materials and manner that I did at Watershed was an invaluable asset to my studio practice, it has informed my work as well as added a new dialogue that I’ve been looking to add to my body of work.” — Natalia Arbalaez

Learn more about Natalia and her work here: http://nataliaarbelaez.com/