Curlee Raven Holton and Raven Fine Art Editions Distinguished Art Fellowship
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The School of Art Collection and Galleries at Kent State University is pleased to announce the Curlee Raven Holton & Raven Fine Art Editions Distinguished Art Fellowship. This fellowship/residency will invite artists of national and international reputations to interact with KSU students, staff, and the broader community.
Curlee Raven Holton, the donor who has created this fellowship opportunity for the School of Art states “I am honored to have partnered with the Kent State University School of Art Collection and Galleries under the leadership of Anderson Turner and the College of Fine Art in establishing the Curlee Raven Holton & Raven Fine Art Editions Distinguished Art Fellowship….What makes this residency so unique is its focus on historical and contemporary artistic practices in the context of research and visual scholarship. Artists are often thought of only as makers of aesthetic objects for the viewer's pleasure. However, if given the opportunity and environment the artist's inquiry and creative significance becomes much more. They not only express and articulate their lived experiences through their work, but they also understand the significance of cultural, historical, and social events as a context for their practice. Artists can help us recognize important historical moments and facts and offer illuminating insights that broaden our understanding of the past and in some cases appreciate more fully our present realities.
I graduated from KSU with an M.F.A. with honors in 1990 with a focus in printmaking and went on to receive recognition as a practicing artist, educator, and administrator. I believe my wide range of diverse academic experiences at KSU, and the mentorship of my teachers prepared me for a successful career and a strong belief in the power of collaborative engagement.”
In 1996 as a Professor of Art, Curlee Raven Holton at Lafayette College established the Experimental Printmaking Institute to provide a diverse cultural and artistic experience for both the student body, college community and public at large. During a twenty-year period, he hosted over 100 artists from the US and internationally. During this period works were published for institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and included in prestigious collections, the Library of Congress, National Gallery of Art, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, Phillips Collection, Smithsonian Museum, and the Folgers Shakespeare Library.
In 2006 Holton refined his collaborative workshop vision with Raven Fine Art Edition. Raven Fine Art edition provides a dedicated workspace for a select group of important artists to investigate how the printmaking medium can contribute to their creative output and career objectives. Many of the artists working with Raven Edition, both established and emerging, have produced museum quality works that have been collected and exhibited nationally and internationally.
In addition, since 2012 Holton has served as Director of the University of Maryland's David C. Driskell Center, which provides an intellectual home for artists, museum professionals, and scholars who are interested in broadening the field of African diasporic studies. Curlee and his wife Glee are making this gift to Kent State to further enrich the opportunities for students to learn from a wide variety of artists, including those from historically under-represented groups within the Arts. By focusing on underrepresented artists such as people of color and women, Curlee and Glee hope to "close the gap" on students' understanding of artistic communities outside of their own.