KCAI Alumni Win US Artist Fellowship Awards

Courtesy of KCAI

Two of KCAI alumni, Stanley Whitney (’68 painting) and Roberto Lugo (’12 ceramics) as well as former KCAI fiber faculty member Piper Shepard, were named United States Artists Fellows and have each received $50,000. This prestigious award, which recognizes fresh perspectives, unique artistic vision and impact, is significant because the artists were nominated by their peers and experts in their field.

Stanley Whitney is a world renowned artist with a signature compositional approach to his paintings…gridded squares of colorful pigment divided by thin horizontal lines. His work has been shown at museums including the American Academy of Art and Letters, New York; the Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia; the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City; the Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach; and the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York. In Europe, solo gallery exhibitions have been mounted in Berlin, Brussels, Vienna and Rome.

Roberto Lugo’s Puerto Rican heritage and his upbringing on the streets of Philadelphia play a prominent role in his porcelain work. His teapots feature imagery at odds with themselves, like a confederate flag and the face of a hip-hop artist. His work is drawing national acclaim for activism themes. He’s had exhibitions throughout the United States and has been a visiting lecturer at numerous prep-schools and colleges including Phillip Exeter Academy and Harvard University.