COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Greater Columbus Arts Council (Arts Council) recently selected two artists to receive international artist residencies in Dresden, Germany on behalf of the Arts Council’s Artist Exchange Program. The 2020 Artist Exchange Program recipients are Joshua Penrose and George Rush.
Joshua Penrose is an artist living in Columbus. His work has been shown at the Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, IL; The Carnegie, Covington, KY; COOP Gallery, Nashville, TN; Moudy Art Gallery, Fort Worth, TX; and the Riffe Gallery in Columbus. Penrose works across a variety of media informed by the digital domain including sound, video, light and digital automation. He holds a Masters in music composition from Towson University and an MFA in art and technology from The Ohio State University. He is the recipient of a 2019 Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award.
George Rush is an associate professor of art at The Ohio State University. He has been exhibiting his work internationally since 1999. Rush holds a BFA from Maryland Institute College of Art and an MFA from Columbia University. His work has appeared at the Columbus Museum of Art; Columbus College of Art & Design; Galerie Mikael Andersen, Copenhagen; Shoshana Wayne Gallery, Los Angeles; Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, TX; and multiple galleries in New York, NY. His home and studio are in the Clintonville area of Columbus where he lives with his wife and son.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the program, offered in conjunction with the Saxon State Ministry for Higher Education, Research and the Fine Arts. To celebrate the Arts Council has launched a website to document the Columbus artists who have participated in the program. Columbus first hosted artists from Germany in 1994; the first Columbus artists traveled to Dresden in 1995. By the end of 2019, the Arts Council will have hosted 52 German artists and sent 47 Columbus artists to Dresden. Visitors can learn about all of the Columbus artists who have traveled to Dresden through biographies, images and quotes about their experiences at dresden.gcac.org.
“We’re very proud of our Dresden artist exchange program and our flourishing relationship with the Saxon State Ministry,” said Tom Katzenmeyer, president and CEO of the Arts Council. “Joshua and George join the previous 47 artists as ambassadors of Columbus’ cultural scene across the world. We’re excited to see how their time in Dresden inspires their artistic endeavors.”
Recipients of a Visual Arts Fellowship, Media Arts Fellowship and finalists for those awards are invited to apply for the Artist Exchange Program. The artists will travel to Dresden sometime in 2020 between Mar. 1 and Nov. 30, for 60 to 90 days. 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. The Arts Council also supports the artists by providing living spaces, a monthly stipend and travel accommodations, and by fostering a relationship between the artists and the Saxon State Ministry for Higher Education, Research and the Fine Arts. While in Dresden, the artists act as ambassadors for the Greater Columbus Arts Council and the city of Columbus.
Mission of the Greater Columbus Arts Council: To support and advance the arts and cultural fabric of Columbus. www.gcac.org
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CONTACT: Jami Goldstein
(614) 221-8492
jgoldstein@gcac.org
