The Bo Bartlett Center will once again host the annual South Arts traveling exhibition showcasing works by this year’s cohort of nine Southern artists. The exhibition opens Feb. 1 and will be available for viewing until April 12.
South Arts, a nonprofit regional organization, empowers artists, organizations and communities, and increases access to arts and culture. It fulfills that mission by supporting artists and organizations through a rich and responsive portfolio of grants, fellowships and programs.
Its annual Southern Prize and State Fellowships for Visual Arts program showcases the talents of nine Southeastern visual artists — competitively selected by a panel of jurors from a pool of 800-plus applicants — who represent various disciplines and career levels. The fellowships are awarded in cooperation with the National Endowment for the Arts and state art agencies in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee — and with additional funding from other public and private donors.
“We are so excited to celebrate the 2023 State Fellows for Visual Arts,” said Susie Surkamer, president and CEO of South Arts. “Their work is a deep reflection of our time, powerfully telling their individual stories of immigration status, disability, race, sense of place and more. Each State Fellow has the talent to convey so much through their creativity, and they collectively build toward our better understanding of artists in the South.”
The touring exhibition displays works by those State Fellows, who include Beizar Aradini (craft, Tennessee), Kelly Bryant (drawing, Alabama), Victoria Dugger (multidisciplinary, Georgia, winner), Chris Friday (multidisciplinary, Florida), Alexis McGrigg (multidisciplinary, Mississippi), Nadia Meadows (sculpture, North Carolina), Rachel Moser (multidisciplinary, Kentucky), Carlie Trosclair (sculpture, Louisiana), and Michael Webster (sculpture, South Carolina, finalist).
“We are delighted to host this amazingly talented group of artists,” said Mike McFalls, director of the Bo Bartlett Center and a professor in the university’s Department of Art. “Their work is a testament to the strength of art in the South, presenting diverse themes, visions and styles.”
On Thursday, Feb. 15, the Bo Bartlett Center will host a South Arts public reception from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Many of the artists are expected to be in attendance.
On Thursday, March 7, Victoria Dugger (pictured) will return for an artist talk beginning at 6 p.m. Dugger, winner of this year’s Southern Prize for Visual Arts, received her bachelor of fine art degree from Columbus State in 2016, and more recently, a master of fine arts in painting from the Lamar Dodd School of Arts at the University of Georgia. Dugger works in painting, mixed media and sculpture, creating pieces that challenge traditional categories and explore new modes of self-expression and embodiment. Her work examines her identity as a Black, disabled woman, blending playful compositions with grotesque imagery.
“As a disabled Black woman, I have a desire for people to accept or appreciate me for both my surface and what’s below it; to humanize me not because of my appearance, but despite it,” Dugger shares in her artist’s statement. “My paintings channel the complexity of my identity. Through bold colors, sly references to art history, fractured patterns, and overflowing viscera. I create a surface of works that are richly layered, both demanding attention and refusing any simple legibility.”
Dugger had her debut New York solo show “Out of Body” with Sargent’s Daughters in July 2021, which was featured by Vogue, Hyperallergic, artnet, ARTnews, Whitehot Magazine, and artdaily. Her work has also been featured recently in New American Paintings South Edition and in Burnaway.
The Bo Barlett Center appreciates philanthropic support from the Norman and Emmy Lou Illges Foundation for making the South Arts exhibition possible. Following its exhibition at the Bo Bartlett Center, South Arts 2023 will travel to Tallahassee, Florida.
