GCAC Announces Recipients of 2014 International Artist Exchange in Dresden, Germany

Columbus, Ohio – The Greater Columbus Arts Council recently selected two artists to receive international artist residencies in Dresden, Germany on behalf of GCAC’s Dresden Residency Program. The 2014 Artist Exchange Program recipients are Andrea Myers and Laura Alexander. Andrea’s work explores the space between two and three dimensionality by combining forms of painting, sculpture and textile based work.  Originally from Westerville, Ohio, Myers received her MFA from the Fiber and Material Studies department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2006.  In 2011, Myers was the only artist from Ohio to receive the Efroymson Contemporary Arts Fellowship, an award given to five Midwestern artists. In 2012, she was awarded a Visual Arts Fellowship and an Artist in the Community Grant from the GCAC.  She has also received grant awards from the city of Chicago and the Union League Club of Chicago. Her work has been exhibited in numerous venues, including McCormick Gallery, Chicago; Steven Zevitas Gallery, Boston; the Museum of Fine Arts Houston; Circuit 12 Contemporary Gallery, Dallas; OSU Urban Art Space and the Columbus Museum of Art. Recent publications include New American Paintings, the Boston Globe, The Columbus Dispatch and Time Out Chicago. With its layers of intricately cut paper, Laura Alexander’s work is both playful and precise.  Combined with the manipulation of light and shadow, its labor-intensive craftsmanship is aimed at creating a sense of wonder.  Alexander received a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art and an MFA from the University of Washington, Seattle. She has shown her work nationally in spaces such as the Henry Art Gallery, Seattle; Grand Rapids Museum of Art, Columbus Museum of Art and The Museum of Design, Atlanta. In 2011, Alexander placed 7th at ArtPrize in Grand Rapids. She is represented by Soho Myriad in Atlanta, Georgia and Roan & Black in Saugatuck, Michigan. She is a recipient of a 2012 GCAC Visual Arts Fellowship. GCAC, in conjunction with the Saxon State Ministry for Higher Education, Research and the Fine Arts, has been providing Columbus artists the opportunity to experience a residency in Dresden since 1994. Recipients of GCAC’s Individual Artist Fellowships in Visual Arts and Media Arts as well as finalists from the current year’s applications for the Fellowships are eligible to apply for the Artist Exchange Program. The artists will travel to Dresden sometime between March 1 and November 30, for eight to 12 consecutive weeks. The Artist Exchange Program provides an extended period of time for artists to concentrate on research and production so that their artwork benefits significantly. Various work and research facilities are made available to the artists. GCAC also supports the artists by providing living quarters, a monthly stipend, travel accommodations, and fosters a relationship between the artists and the Saxon State Ministry for Higher Education, Research and Fine Arts. While in Dresden, the artists act as representatives for the Greater Columbus Arts Council and the city of Columbus. HIGH RESOLUTION IMAGES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. About the Greater Columbus Arts Council: Through vision and leadership, advocacy and collaboration, the Greater Columbus Arts Council supports art and advances the culture of the region. A catalyst for excellence and innovation, we fund exemplary artists and arts organizations and provide programs, events and services of public value that educate and engage all audiences in our community. GCAC thanks the City of Columbus, Franklin County and the Ohio Arts Council for their continued support.

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