WheatonArts is accepting applications for its 2023 Creative Glass Fellowship, seeking exceptional artists to live and work at the Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center, for 3-week and 6-week sessions in the Spring and the Fall. Offering a stipend, on-campus housing, access to Wheaton’s world renowned studio spaces, and institutional support, the fellowship is a robust opportunity to explore and create glass. The deadline to apply is September 16, 2022.
Under the direction of recently appointed studio director, Alexander Rosenberg, the WheatonArts glass studio has seen the selection of many new and accomplished staff members, creation of collaborative projects, and expansion of educational programming. Notable new staff members include Katey Murphy, formerly from the Chrysler Museum of Glass, who is now serving as the Studio Coordinator. A Philadelphia native, Murphy first discovered glass at WheatonArts more than a decade ago, and is enthusiastic to return to her roots. Armed with her diverse experiences in community outreach, diversity and inclusion, and arts programming from the Chrysler, Murphy is poised to help the program expand and develop in their post-pandemic return. In an email exchange with the Glass Quarterly Hot Sheet, Murphy explained that, “In regards to new directions for the studio, I’m keen to use my background of community outreach with longstanding partners of WheatonArts and build relationships with the many diverse communities in South Jersey.” As studio coordinator, Murphy worked closely with Rosenberg in cultivating their approach to the fellowship program, saying, “As we continue to build programming, our focus will be to sustain an inclusive and safe environment, creating a space for equitable growth in the field of glass.”
Rosenberg, who was a creative glass fellow in 2018, previously served on the jury of the blind selection process for the fellowship multiple times in the past. In an email conversation with the Hot Sheet, the new director expressed his visions for the 2023 fellowship cohort, and has been working to facilitate a space where “collaborations arise organically, cultivating a synergy in the studio that is both intellectually engaging and technically generative.” Rosenberg joined the WheatonArts team during the height of the pandemic and was directly involved in the national search for an entirely new staff. He has also been at the forefront of the institutional approach to programming as a whole, going forward with a focus on several significant considerations including environmental consciousness, inclusivity and equity, representing underserved communities, and creating connections between historical and contemporary glass.
With several internationally acclaimed artists and instructors on their roster this year, WheatonArts will be hosting two cohorts of fellows, one in the Spring from April to June, and one in the Fall from September to December. Application requirements include a portfolio of the artist’s work to be submitted online by the September 16th deadline. Selected fellows will be notified in November. More details can be found on their website.
Boasting a newly renovated fellows house, expanded studio facilities including several new cold shop machines as well as a neon and plasma workshop, the 2023 fellowship promises to be a fruitful opportunity for all selected artists. Rosenberg rounded off his email exchange with an enthusiastic call for fellowship applicants, “I'm hopeful that our free open call will attract artists across media and disciplines, whose work will push the boundaries of glass as both material and methodology.”