COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Greater Columbus Arts Council (GCAC) has selected the two artists for its annual international artist residencies in Dresden, Germany as part of GCAC’s Artist Exchange Program. The 2024 Artist Exchange Program recipients are Eliana Calle-Saari and Luke Stettner.
Eliana Calle-Saari (she/her) is a printmaker who splits her time between teaching and practicing art. She is a member of Phoenix Rising Printmaking Cooperative and is a lecturer in art and design at Ohio Dominican University. She’s previously taught at Otterbein University, Capital University and The Ohio State University. She holds an MFA in printmaking from Ohio State, as well as degrees in Spanish and art from Otterbein and fashion design from Escuela de Diseño Proyectual in Medellin, Colombia. Calle-Saari’s work has been exhibited at the Upper Arlington Concourse Gallery, Ohio Dominican’s Werhle Gallery, Zanesville Museum of Art, Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery, Franklin Park Conservatory, the Ohio State Fair and many other galleries across the country. She’s also affiliated with ROY G BIV Gallery, Ohio Art League and the Mid-American Printmaking Council.
Luke Stettner (he/him) has had 13 solo exhibitions to date, including at the Storm King Art Center, New Windsor, NY; Kate Werble Gallery, NY; The Kitchen, NY; Stene Projects, Stockholm; and an upcoming solo exhibition at the Mattress Factory, Pittsburgh. Stettner has lectured in photography and other media at The Ohio State University, Denison University, Ithaca College, Ohio University and Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. He hopes to use his time in Dresden, which he hasn’t visited since he was a student in 2000, to further his work in exploring his family’s history and translating letters of theirs during World War II. All of this is in preparation for a joint exhibition with German artist Sandra Erbacher at The Contemporary Dayton art galleries in May 2024.
Now in its 28th year, GCAC’s Dresden Exchange program is offered in conjunction with the Cultural Foundation of the Free State of Saxony (Kulturstiftung des Freistaates Sachsen) as part of the Sister City program. In 1999, GCAC launched a website to document the Columbus artists who have participated in the program since 1995. Columbus also hosts a pair of German artists every year, providing them with lodging, transportation, studio space and opportunities to collaborate with the Columbus creative community. 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 and learn more about the German artists who have visited Columbus at columbusdresden.de.
“With the addition of Eliana and Luke, we’ve now proudly sent 53 artists to Dresden, to serve as cultural ambassadors of Columbus through this program,” said Tom Katzenmeyer, president and CEO of GCAC. “We value getting to exchange ideas and inspiration between the cities of Dresden and Columbus, and we’re excited to see how Eliana and Luke further their work through their dedicated time abroad.”
Jurors for the 2024 Dresden Artist Exchange were:
- Don “Doncee” Coulter, 2022 Dresden Exchange Artist
- Lea Goldsmith, artist and GCAC board member
- Joshua Penrose, 2021 Dresden Exchange Artist
Artists must be invited to apply for the Artist Exchange Program. Eligible artists include recipients and finalists of the GCAC Visual Arts Fellowship, Media Arts Fellowship, Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson Fellowship, Artists Elevated Award, Film it in Cbus Award and #ArtUnitesCbus Film & Photography Award.
The selected artists will travel to Dresden sometime between March 1 and Nov. 30, 2024 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. GCAC also supports the artists by providing a stipend, lodging, studio and travel accommodations, and by fostering connections to artists, galleries and community leaders. While in Dresden, the artists act as ambassadors for GCAC 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
The Greater Columbus Arts Council receives major financial support from the City of Columbus, Franklin County Commissioners, the Ohio Arts Council and The Ohio State University.
For translations of this release and other pages, please see the dropdown menu at the top right corner of gcac.org.
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CONTACT: Jami Goldstein
(614) 221-8492
jgoldstein@gcac.org
