Hopper Prize Journal: Insights Into Contemporary Art

Susan Chen

Susan Chen on spending countless hours at art museums, painting portraits over Zoom, making work in response to social & psychological issues, & the many avenues available for discovering new work.

Grant Winner, Susan Chen

Yannick Lowery

Yannick Lowery discusses early memories of making art, exploring analog animations of paper collages, the way we use digital gestures to communicate a collective of understanding, & a practice rooted in commonalities.

Grant Winner, Yannick Lowery

Gail Spaien

Gail Spaien on growing up with parents who loved art & culture, drawing inspiration from early American portraiture & the Hudson River Landscape painters, working through the stages of the creative process, & evoking a feeling of suspended time.

Gail Spaien, Grant Finalist

Marianna Peragallo

Marianna Peragallo on early inspirations, the fragility of life, endless curiosity, playful self-portraits, & love as a radical act rooted in strength and mutual support.

Grant Finalist, Marianna Peragallo

Ira Lupu

Ira Lupu on inventing a vision, preparing for major upcoming exhibitions, the othering of Eastern European women in Western culture, & a deep appreciation for unpredictability.

Grant Finalist, Ira Lupu

Akihiro Boujoh

Akihiro Boujoh on architecture as an entry point to art, a constantly evolving practice, making work that responds to the natural world, & finding inspiration in daily life.

Akihiro Boujoh, Grant Winner

Diana Cheren Nygren

Diana Cheren Nygren on transitioning from art history to fine art, managing multiple, discreet projects in development, drawing inspiration from both contemporary pop art & photography, & a continously evolving approach to image making.

Diana Cheren Nygren, Grant Finalist

Stas Orlovski

Stas Orlovski discusses childhood memories of turbulent times, drawing as a way to process new experiences, shifting to more autobiographical work, & processing an image through a variety of materials, methods and techniques.

Grant Finalist, Stas Orlovski

David Paul Downs

David Paul Downs discusses early memories of making art, embracing the challenge of trying something new, subjects that provoke anxiety & metaphorical stand-ins for personal traumas.

David Paul Downs, Grant Finalist

Rachel Cox

Rachel Cox on the shared experience of quarantining in one’s home as an inspiration for new work, working on multiple distinctive projects at once, a transformational approach to making new images, & organizing a productive studio practice.

Grant Finalist, Rachel Cox

Jessica Williams

Jessica Williams on being involved in art from a young age, influential teachers, focusing on themes of memory, romance, & transformation, & thinking about architectures of solitude.

Grant Finalist, Jessica Williams

Jason DeMarte

Jason DeMarte on a longstanding interest in making & the natural world, early experiences with photography, responding to the work of Martin Johnson Heade, & a practice that evolves from project to project.

Grant Finalist, Jason DeMarte

Natasha Moustache

Natasha Moustache discusses the immediacy of a captured memory, found connections within the Black Diaspora, residual threads of colonialism, & new work that feels both urgent and expansive.

Grant Finalist, Natasha Moustache

Catherine Panebianco

Catherine Panebianco on the magic of photography, visual self expression, creating a trail of memories, & using the environment as a studio.

Catherine Panebianco, Grant Finalist

Elisabeth Ajtay

Elisabeth Ajtay discusses an early desire to document that which was left behind, a current phase of introspection & thinking, new work derived from an experience as an artist, a migrant & a nomad, & research as a basis for highly conceptual work.

Elisabeth Ajtay, Grant Finalist

Naomi Nakazato

Naomi Nakazato discusses early memories of visiting art museums, how momentary places of ritual can simultaneously tether one’s self to place, as well as dissolve imposed orientations, & allowing onself to be more porous and open to disruptions.

Grant Finalist, Naomi Nakazato

Taylor Kibby

Taylor Kibby on past selves and how they are preserved, transformed, & forgotten, diving deep into a new series of sculptures, coming from a family of artists, & taking time to experiment and play.

Grant Finalist, Taylor Kibby

Esther Ruiz

Esther Ruiz on finding inspiration in the unexpected, coffee & NPR in the studio, admiration for the work of contemporaries & an interest in art that began in grade school.

Esther Ruiz, Grant Finalist

Ryan Wilde

Ryan Wilde on costume & its ability to communicate identity, a practice centered on millinery, maintaining a constant conversation between art & fashion, & using contemporary trends to build on top of classic ideas.

Grant Finalist, Ryan Wilde

Caroline Monnet

Caroline Monnet discusses working on multiple projects & mediums, staying invested & maintaining curiosity, evoking metaphor & a long standing interest in architecture.

Caroline Monnet, Grant Finalist

Journal

Susan Chen on spending countless hours at art museums, painting portraits over Zoom, making work in response to social & psychological issues, & the many avenues available for discovering new work.

Yannick Lowery discusses early memories of making art, exploring analog animations of paper collages, the way we use digital gestures to communicate a collective of understanding, & a practice rooted in commonalities.

Gail Spaien on growing up with parents who loved art & culture, drawing inspiration from early American portraiture & the Hudson River Landscape painters, working through the stages of the creative process, & evoking a feeling of suspended time.

Marianna Peragallo on early inspirations, the fragility of life, endless curiosity, playful self-portraits, & love as a radical act rooted in strength and mutual support.

Ira Lupu on inventing a vision, preparing for major upcoming exhibitions, the othering of Eastern European women in Western culture, & a deep appreciation for unpredictability.

Akihiro Boujoh on architecture as an entry point to art, a constantly evolving practice, making work that responds to the natural world, & finding inspiration in daily life.

Diana Cheren Nygren on transitioning from art history to fine art, managing multiple, discreet projects in development, drawing inspiration from both contemporary pop art & photography, & a continously evolving approach to image making.

Stas Orlovski discusses childhood memories of turbulent times, drawing as a way to process new experiences, shifting to more autobiographical work, & processing an image through a variety of materials, methods and techniques.

David Paul Downs discusses early memories of making art, embracing the challenge of trying something new, subjects that provoke anxiety & metaphorical stand-ins for personal traumas.

Rachel Cox on the shared experience of quarantining in one’s home as an inspiration for new work, working on multiple distinctive projects at once, a transformational approach to making new images, & organizing a productive studio practice.

Jessica Williams on being involved in art from a young age, influential teachers, focusing on themes of memory, romance, & transformation, & thinking about architectures of solitude.

Jason DeMarte on a longstanding interest in making & the natural world, early experiences with photography, responding to the work of Martin Johnson Heade, & a practice that evolves from project to project.

Natasha Moustache discusses the immediacy of a captured memory, found connections within the Black Diaspora, residual threads of colonialism, & new work that feels both urgent and expansive.

Catherine Panebianco on the magic of photography, visual self expression, creating a trail of memories, & using the environment as a studio.

Elisabeth Ajtay discusses an early desire to document that which was left behind, a current phase of introspection & thinking, new work derived from an experience as an artist, a migrant & a nomad, & research as a basis for highly conceptual work.

Naomi Nakazato discusses early memories of visiting art museums, how momentary places of ritual can simultaneously tether one’s self to place, as well as dissolve imposed orientations, & allowing onself to be more porous and open to disruptions.

Taylor Kibby on past selves and how they are preserved, transformed, & forgotten, diving deep into a new series of sculptures, coming from a family of artists, & taking time to experiment and play.

Esther Ruiz on finding inspiration in the unexpected, coffee & NPR in the studio, admiration for the work of contemporaries & an interest in art that began in grade school.

Ryan Wilde on costume & its ability to communicate identity, a practice centered on millinery, maintaining a constant conversation between art & fashion, & using contemporary trends to build on top of classic ideas.

Caroline Monnet discusses working on multiple projects & mediums, staying invested & maintaining curiosity, evoking metaphor & a long standing interest in architecture.

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