Grant Finalist Archives - The Hopper Prize

Furong Zhang

Furong Zhang discusses the collective & contradictory spaces between mythologies & reality, psychological interiors, & making art as a respite from a chaotic environment.

Furong Zhang, Grant Finalist

Judd Schiffman

Judd Schiffman on Buddhist meditation and Shamanic spiritual practices, preparing for multiple upcoming exhibitions, & exploring personal rites of passage.

Grant Finalist, Judd Schiffman

Alicia Reyes McNamara

Alicia Reyes McNamara on the importance of a supportive family, working towards an upcoming exhibition, & opening up the concept of an in-between space.

Alicia Reyes McNamara, Grant Finalist

Pia Chavarria

Pia Chavarria on early drawing references, the notion of ‘not knowing’, portraits & non-portraits, & the number of possiblities behind each subject.

Grant Finalist, Pia Chavarria

Aaron Christopher Rees

Aaron Christopher Rees discusses the phenomological experience of seeing, playing with allegory, abstraction & symbolism, & the meditive nature embedded in the physical act of making.

Aaron Christopher Rees, Grant Finalist

Scrill Davis

Scrill Davis on early experiences with photography, creating with local talent while traveling, using music to set the tone while working, & expanding his brand.

Grant Finalist, Scrill Davis

Dylan Hausthor

Dylan Hausthor on early memories of making things, story telling as a central component of a practice, deeply relating to specific spaces, & basking in meditative days.

Dylan Hausthor, Grant Finalist

Kenechi Unachukwu

Kenechi Unachukwu discusses multiple ongoing projects, a need to document this important time in history, photographing the essence of a culture, & early experiences with photography.

Grant Finalist, Kenechi Unachukwu

Victoria Martinez

Victoria Martinez on large-scale textile paintings, a reverence for architecture, the desire to create interactive environments, & early experiments with mural painting.

Grant Finalist, Victoria Martinez

Azadeh Gholizadeh

Azadeh Gholizadeh discusses art as a way of expression, finding comfort in the process of making, the idea of borders & boundaries, & an emotional connection to belonging.

Azadeh Gholizadeh, Grant Finalist

Julia Blume

Julia Blume discusses pursuing art full time, work from a recent residency, the importance of sustained bodily contact with the land, & taking a broad approach to the process of making art.

Grant Finalist, Julia Blume

Ilona Szwarc

Ilona Szwarc on an early interest in photography & filmmaking, reinterpreting gestures through the female gaze, & finding inspiration in how-to aesthetics & instructional photographs.

Grant Finalist, Ilona Szwarc

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

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

Journal

Furong Zhang discusses the collective & contradictory spaces between mythologies & reality, psychological interiors, & making art as a respite from a chaotic environment.

Judd Schiffman on Buddhist meditation and Shamanic spiritual practices, preparing for multiple upcoming exhibitions, & exploring personal rites of passage.

Alicia Reyes McNamara on the importance of a supportive family, working towards an upcoming exhibition, & opening up the concept of an in-between space.

Pia Chavarria on early drawing references, the notion of ‘not knowing’, portraits & non-portraits, & the number of possiblities behind each subject.

Aaron Christopher Rees discusses the phenomological experience of seeing, playing with allegory, abstraction & symbolism, & the meditive nature embedded in the physical act of making.

Scrill Davis on early experiences with photography, creating with local talent while traveling, using music to set the tone while working, & expanding his brand.

Dylan Hausthor on early memories of making things, story telling as a central component of a practice, deeply relating to specific spaces, & basking in meditative days.

Kenechi Unachukwu discusses multiple ongoing projects, a need to document this important time in history, photographing the essence of a culture, & early experiences with photography.

Victoria Martinez on large-scale textile paintings, a reverence for architecture, the desire to create interactive environments, & early experiments with mural painting.

Azadeh Gholizadeh discusses art as a way of expression, finding comfort in the process of making, the idea of borders & boundaries, & an emotional connection to belonging.

Julia Blume discusses pursuing art full time, work from a recent residency, the importance of sustained bodily contact with the land, & taking a broad approach to the process of making art.

Ilona Szwarc on an early interest in photography & filmmaking, reinterpreting gestures through the female gaze, & finding inspiration in how-to aesthetics & instructional photographs.

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.

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.

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