Franconia Sculpture Park Announces 2020 Artists-in-Residence
Shafer, Minnesota: Franconia Sculpture Park is thrilled to announce its 2020 Artists-in-Residence. Franconia’s renowned artist residency programs allow artists to create ambitious new projects, interact and collaborate with fellow artists, and engage the public through diverse mediums that expand the discourse and boundaries of sculpture.
Ellina Kevorkian, Franconia’s new Residency Director says, “this outstanding cohort of Artists-in-Residence brings to Franconia a fresh urgency to issues in contemporary sculpture and the rural Minnesota landscape. We value these diverse contemporary voices from around the globe and are honored to provide time and space to imagine what’s limitless and possible with our fullest support.”
2020 marks Franconia’s celebration of the symbiotic relationship between contemporary sculpture and nature. As a crucial member of the creative community of the St. Croix River Valley, Franconia Sculpture Park believes that art, nature, and community connect all of us. This initiative includes opportunities for visiting artists to create work that is mindful of the specific space, time, and landscape that their work occupies.
2020 VISITING ARTISTS
FSP commissioned four contemporary sculpture artists to create work at Franconia that engages diverse audiences and embraces new perspectives in sculpture, land art, and social practice.
Alberto Aguilar (Illinois)
Ashley Blalock (California)
Ryan Turley (New York)
Mike Whiting (California)
2020 FRANCONIA SCULPTURE PARK FELLOWS
FSP Fellows are provided with a stipend and residency to create ambitious new projects that will be on display at Franconia for two years. Artists at any stage of their career working in sculpture, installation, land art, social practice, and performance are encouraged to apply.
Thomas Bierlein (Minnesota)
Jesse Blumenthal (Montana) *
Don Edler (California)
Moko Fukuyama (New York)
Jordan Loeppky-Kolesnik (California) *
Sandra Nyberg (Finland)
Cat Chiu Phillips (California)
Julie Schenkelberg (Michigan)
Alex Young (Pennsylvania)
Rotem Tamir & Omri Zin (Minnesota) *
2020 EMERGING ARTIST INTERNSHIP
FSP offers undergraduates, graduate students, and emerging artists the opportunity to participate in a communal work-exchange in a rural setting designed to provide professional development opportunities and exposure to professional arts networks from across the United States. Artist Interns can create public artwork, develop their artistic practice, receive mentorship from professional Artists-in-Residence and visiting curators, and develop professional experience participating in public programs and engagement while in residency at Franconia. The rural setting and the chance to work alongside peers and professional artists creates a dynamic setting for interns to grow, learn, and expand their network.
The Emerging Artist Internship began with the park’s founding in 1996 and has grown to support more than 200 artists to date. Recognized by the National Foundation for the Advancement in the Arts for program excellence, the residency is designed to bridge the gap between artists’ academic world and a professional career.
Emma Beatrez (Minnesota)
Tsohil Bhatia (Pennsylvania)
YunKyoung Cho (Maryland)
Wesley Fawcett Creigh (Arizona)
Robert DeMangus (Minnesota) *
William Lanzillo (Minnesota)
Michael Lonchar (Minnesota) *
Erin Morris (New York) *
Lee Noble (Minnesota)
Lola Ogbara (Missouri)
Bracha Stettin (Canada) *
Lexis Thompson (Texas) *
Megan VanderMeulen (Minnesota)
Teena Wilder (Wisconsin)
Emma Wood (Minnesota) *
2020 HOT METAL ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM
FSP invites artists from around the world to participate in the Hot Metal Residency Program each year. Since 1996, over 200 artists have had the opportunity to strengthen their professional network as well as their portfolio and metal casting skills in a unique setting. Selected artists create a new artwork during their residency and participate in the Annual Hot Metal Pour, the Midwest’s largest public pour.
HOT METAL CO-DIRECTORS
Samantha Leopold-Sullivan (Minnesota)
Kay Dartt (Minnesota)
HOT METAL INTERN COORDINATOR
Rose Von Muchow (Minnesota)
HOT METAL ARTISTS
Rachel Frank (New York)
Lauren G. Koch (Maryland)
Shane Ward (Tennessee)
Ash Dahlke (Arizona)
April Miller (North Carolina)
HOT METAL INTERNS
Michaela Leib (Tennessee)
Alexander Gelderman (Kentucky)
Gabriela Fernandez (Florida)
Ashley Schilling (Minnesota)
Greta Lapcinski (Wisconsin)
All Franconia Sculpture Park artists-in-residence were selected by an independent jury consisting of a five-member panel of nationally-recognized arts professionals. Applications were reviewed in a thorough two-stage process where finalists were advanced for deeper consideration and selection.
*Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, selected artists-in-residence will be completing work in 2021.
About Franconia Sculpture Park
Franconia Sculpture Park is the pre-eminent, artist-centered sculpture park in the Midwest. Founded in 1996, Franconia provides physically and intellectually wide-open spaces that inspire new ways of thinking through access to contemporary sculpture, installation and land art. Located in the scenic St. Croix River Valley, Franconia operates a 43-acre outdoor museum, active artist residency program, and a depth and breadth of arts programming for a diverse and engaged public. Franconia is located at 29836 St. Croix Trail in Shafer, Minnesota, and is free and open to the public 365 days a year from dawn to the dusk.
For more information, call 651-257-6668 or visit www.franconia.org. Find Franconia Sculpture Park on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @franconiamn.
Media Contact:
Alyssa Auten
Communications & Creative Director
Franconia Sculpture Park
alyssaauten@franconia.org
651-257-6668
www.franconia.org
