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RAM Artist Fellowships and Emerging Artist Award

Presented by the Osborne and Scekic Family Foundation

The next application period will begin in late 2023.

The Mission

To showcase the diversity and vitality of the Racine/Kenosha visual arts community by supporting the professional development of its artists.

The Goal

To distinguish the region as a place that values the arts, and enhance the area’s desirability as a place for artists to work and live.

If you have questions or want to be placed on a mailing list, please contact RAM Curatorial Assistant Katelyn Mitchell at [email protected] or by calling 262.619.3541.

2022–23 Recipients

The four Fellowship recipients and the Emerging Artist were selected based on quality of artwork submitted representing a range of styles and media.

Congratulations to:

Peter F. Aymonin, Racine, Ceramics

Lisa Bigalke, Kenosha, Printmaking

Maureen Fritchen, Racine, Mixed Media

Jojin Van Winkle, Racine, Film and Photography

Kelly Witte (Emerging Artist), Racine, Printmaking and Painting

2022–23 Recipients

Photography: Varitay Studios

The four Fellowship recipients and the Emerging Artist were selected based on quality of artwork submitted representing a range of styles and media.

Congratulations to:

Peter F. Aymonin, Racine, Ceramics

Lisa Bigalke, Kenosha, Printmaking

Maureen Fritchen, Racine, Mixed Media

Jojin Van Winkle, Racine, Film and Photography

Kelly Witte (Emerging Artist), Racine, Printmaking and Painting

Fellowship and Emerging Artist Awards

These competitive awards recognize artists, at all stages of their careers, who are creating outstanding work in all media including painting/drawing, printmaking, photography, bookmaking, sculpture, installation, film/video, fibers, glass, metals, wood, and ceramics.

By increasing critical attention and exposure for recipients, the fellowships seek to foster their continued artistic and professional development.

Four $3,000 Artist Fellowships and one $1,500 Emerging Artist Award will be presented, which may be used for any expenses that will assist in the development of new work and advance their artistic careers, e.g. equipment and supply purchases, studio rental, travel, etc.

All five recipients will be featured in solo exhibitions presented concurrently at RAM’s Wustum Museum of Fine Arts. A full-color exhibition catalogue will be printed to accompany the RAM Artist Fellowship and Emerging Artist Exhibition 2023, August 23 – November 25, 2023.

Google aerial view of Racine-Kenosha area

Fellowship and Emerging Artist Awards

Google aerial view of Racine-Kenosha area

These competitive awards recognize artists, at all stages of their careers, who are creating outstanding work in all media including painting/drawing, printmaking, photography, bookmaking, sculpture, installation, film/video, fibers, glass, metals, wood, and ceramics.

By increasing critical attention and exposure for recipients, the fellowships seek to foster their continued artistic and professional development.

Four $3,000 Artist Fellowships and one $1,500 Emerging Artist Award will be presented, which may be used for any expenses that will assist in the development of new work and advance their artistic careers, e.g. equipment and supply purchases, studio rental, travel, etc.

All five recipients will be featured in solo exhibitions presented concurrently at RAM’s Wustum Museum of Fine Arts. A full-color exhibition catalogue will be printed to accompany the RAM Artist Fellowship and Emerging Artist Exhibition 2023, August 23 – November 25, 2023.

Artist Eligibility and Selection

The eligibility requirements for applying have changed over time as new dynamics emerge. For this reason, interested artists are encouraged to review the criteria for each cycle as an aspect previously rendering someone ineligible may have changed.

  • Four fellowship recipients will be selected based on the quality of artwork submitted and will represent a range of styles. Applicants must be over 21 years of age and not currently enrolled in a degree program.

  • An Emerging Artist Award will be given to an artist who is between the ages of 21 and 39 on January 13, 2021 and cannot be currently enrolled in a degree-granting program.

    • Applicants must specify during the application process whether or not they would also like to be considered for the Emerging Artist Award.
  • Visual artists at all stages of their careers who reside in the Racine/Kenosha urban corridor east of I-94 are eligible. All art media are eligible.

  • RAM full-time employees are not eligible to apply.

  • Past RAM Artist Fellowship/Emerging Artist Award recipients are welcome to apply again but not for the term immediately following the term during which they won (i.e. if an artist was an award winner in 2020, they cannot apply again until 2024).

  • Jurying results will be publicly announced on March 28, 2022.

Application Requirements

  • Include artist statement (no more than 300 words).

  • Include artist resume (no more than 600 words).

  • Upload 10 .JPG images of your artwork saved at 300 dpi, 1,800 pixels on the longest side, and with a file size no larger than 2 MB each.

    • Each image MUST be labeled according to the instructions on the application.
    • Jurors select winners based on submitted digital images—no physical artwork is judged.
    • All submission materials become the property of Racine Art Museum.
  • All application materials must be received no later than deadline date.

  • Incomplete applications will be disqualified.

As this is all a digitally-oriented process, good photography of work submitted is an absolute must. Applicants need to present their work in its best light to jurors who may not be familiar with it. In addition, the quality of the initial photography speaks to the capability of the applicants to provide publishable quality photography of their work at various stages during the process leading up to the RAM Artist Fellowship and Emerging Artist Exhibition. This does not mean that the artists must pay to have their work professionally photographed at every stage—there is a photo studio at RAM’s Wustum Museum that can be scheduled for a small fee if an artist wants to begin and/or develop their skills for documenting their own artwork.

2022–2023 Jurors

Evelyn Patricia Terry By Stacy Kaats
Photography: Stacy Kaats

Based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Evelyn Patricia Terry practices as a full-time professional visual artist, presenter, writer, and art collector. Initially interested in printmaking and drawing, Terry additionally explores constructing artists’ books, found object assemblages, mixed media collage, painting, installations, and public art. During a more than 50-year art career, her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally in addition to being widely collected. Terry, who has earned numerous commissions, grants, fellowships, and various exhibition awards herself, has experience with jurying at community art festivals, galleries, universities, and museum exhibitions.

Frank Juarez 2021
Photography: Frank Juarez

Frank Juarez is an award-winning art educator, artist, author, presenter, arts advocate, and former gallery director. Juarez brings two decades of art education and arts management experience organizing local and regional art exhibitions, community art events, supporting artists through grant programs, and facilitating professional development workshops for artists. This has placed him in the forefront of promoting Wisconsin artists, networking, and attracting regional, national, and international artists to collaborate and exhibit in Wisconsin. Juarez is the art department chair at Sheboygan North High School, Sheboygan, Wisconsin; contributing editor of SchoolArts Magazine; and publisher of Artdose Magazine.

Lena Vigna By Camela Langendorf
Photography: Camela Langendorf, Varitay Studios

Lena Vigna is currently Curator of Exhibitions at the Racine Art Museum, where she curates and oversees the production and implementation of 10-15 exhibitions per year and heads the department. Vigna has a particular interest in the contemporary fields of adornment, sculpture, fiber, and installation.

Robert Osborne is co-founder of OS Projects, a contemporary art gallery in downtown Racine, Wisconsin. He is also a founding member of ArtRoot, a Racine grassroots initiative seeking to build arts infrastructure, foster connections, and facilitate collaborations among local creatives.

Vera Scekic is the director of OS Projects, a founding member of ArtRoot, and a respected visual artist. Scekic has exhibited her paintings, drawings, and installations at art centers, galleries, and museums throughout the US.

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