糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Launches Program to Help New Art Graduates Jump Start Their Careers
糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students draw and paint during a class at the Windgate Center of Art and Design. Photo by Ben Krain.
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has launched a first-of-its-kind program at the university to help new alumni artists boost their careers.
The goal of the newly established artLAUNCH program is to provide early career alumni artists with funding, mentoring, and professional development opportunities to accelerate their artistic pursuits. The program is funded by a $216,000 grant by the Windgate Foundation.
鈥淭he early years after graduation are a critical time in an artist鈥檚 life,鈥� said Peter Scheidt, assistant professor of furniture and woodworking and artLAUNCH coordinator. 鈥淣ew alumni are looking for a way to focus on their art while balancing the loss of support that comes from faculty and peers. This award will help new graduates spend more time focusing on creating art and preparing for their careers.鈥�
The pilot program will provide graduates of the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Department of Art and Design with a $10,000 incubator award to help jump start their careers. The artLAUNCH award will be granted to five alumni each in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Department of Art and Design Bachelor of Art and Bachelor of Fine Art studio art alumni from within a five-year window are eligible for consideration. The award may be used for anything allowing the recipients to concentrate on creating studio work: equipment, materials, travel, artist residency or workshop fees, shipping, and more.
Faculty members and professional artists will also serve as mentors for the artLAUNCH recipients. They will serve as a resource for professional advice, networking, technical questions, and more. Mentors will be proactive and act as a hands-on engaged partner with their mentees. Recipients will also be granted access to 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock art facilities and equipment during their award year.
鈥淭his innovative pilot program is a great opportunity for our graduating students and alumni to make a smooth transition from art school to the professional art world,鈥� said Thomas Clifton, chair of the Department of Art and Design. 鈥淭he Windgate Foundation has been a tremendous partner in providing support for our programs and students, and we鈥檙e looking forward to seeing the results of these exceptional efforts.鈥�
Applications for the artLAUNCH program are due March 31, and the 2022 program recipients will be announced in May. 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock will hold an exhibit during the spring 2023 semester to showcase the work of the 2022 artLAUNCH recipients.
鈥淭his program will directly benefit recent art and design alumni at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock,鈥� Scheidt said. 鈥淲e hope this will be a career-changing endeavor at a critical time in these artists鈥� lives.鈥�
For more information, contact artLAUNCH Coordinator Peter Scheidt at [email protected] or 501-916-5112.
