The Miami-based National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) has launched a new three-year grant programme aimed at artists fresh out of school. The Daniel Arsham Fellowship, presented by the Ridinger-McLaughlin Family, awards $25,000 to an artist who received their BFA within the past three years. The winners will also be mentored by Arsham.
The first fellow is the St Thomas-born, Chicago-based artist Shenequa, who uses utilizes cotton, yarn and synthetic hair in her work. She received her BFA in fiber art at the Kansas City Art Institute in Missouri and her Master of Design in fashion, body and garment at School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she studied under Nick Cave.
“Together we will create an essential bridge for aspiring visual artists to navigate the path between training and establishing a successful career in the arts,” said the YoungArts president and chief executive Carolina García Jayaram. The programme is supported through a gift from James Ridinger and Loren Ridinger, the founders of SHOP.com, along with Duane McLaughlin and Amber Ridinger-McLaughlin, the co-founders of DNA Atelier.