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Austin Peay State University Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts announces 2017-18 Tennessee Artist Fellow

Austin Peay State University - APSUClarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts (CECA, or “seek-ah”) is pleased to announce that Andrew Scott Ross, of Johnson City, is the 2017-18 recipient of the Tennessee Artist Fellowship.

The CECA Tennessee Artist Fellowship was created to celebrate contemporary art and to support the continued creative work of exceptional Tennessee artists.

Art by Andrew Scott Ross
Art by Andrew Scott Ross

Unlike other fellowships, nominations and applications from artists are not solicited. A committee of APSU faculty compiles a list of outstanding artists from across the state from which the fellowship recipient is selected.

Through support from CECA, the selected artist receives $5,000 to aid in the creation of new artwork and $2,000 for an artist lecture at a future date.

“Since APSU is the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts for the entire state of Tennessee, we wanted to find a way to support artists state-wide,” Barry Jones, chair of the APSU Department of Art and Design, said. “There is an incredible amount of amazing artists here, but unfortunately there isn’t much financial support for them. We hope that this fellowship helps a Tennessee artist maintain their practice and to know that we support what they are doing.”

Ross received his BFA from the Atlanta College of Art and his MFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He subsequently studied at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture and is currently an associate professor in drawing at East Tennessee State University.

“We were highly impressed with Ross’ work,” a member of the selection committee said. “His gritty, yet refined, work is conceptually layered and rich with texture, and his drawings transcend the two-dimensional surface we associate with drawing media. His manipulation of the drawing surface into large-scale installations, along with his dedication in constructing a personal visual language, is what made him the top choice for this year’s fellowship. We’re excited that contemporary drawing is alive and well in Tennessee.”

Ross has exhibited throughout the United States and abroad, including The Museum of Arts and Design in New York, The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia in Atlanta, The Guggenheim Museum in New York, The Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, The Knoxville Museum of Art and the John Michael Kohler Arts Center.

His work has been reviewed in publications such as Art in America, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Sculpture Magazine and the Village Voice. Recently, his work was included in the 2017 Atlanta Biennial (ATLBNL) at the Atlanta Contemporary, and the curated section of the Art on Paper exhibit at the Weatherspoon Museum in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Past recipients of the CECA Tennessee Artist Fellowship include Alicia Henry, Nashville, and Maysey Craddock, Memphis.

For information on the CECA Tennessee Artist Fellowship, contact Janice Crews, director of CECA, at crewsj@apsu.edu

To stay informed of upcoming CECA events, including Ross’ upcoming artist talk, please visit www.apsu.edu/ceca or follow it on social media.

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