OWU Alumnus Earns $40,000 Art Award
Funds to Support Art Practice and Research for Andrew Wilson ’13
Of his introspective art, Ohio Wesleyan University graduate Andrew Wilson says: “If you are patient and quiet enough, my work will take you on a journey; it will talk with you – it’s about creating a space for dialogue where artist, viewer, and art can drop our guard and become vulnerable again.”
And the journey inspired by his creations – including work in sculpture, fiber arts, book arts, photography, and performance and literary poetry – has earned Wilson, OWU Class of 2013, the 2016 Jack K. & Gertrude Murphy Award from The San Francisco Foundation in California.
The award, which includes a $40,000 prize, seeks to “help fuel the continued forward-thinking visual arts movement that makes the Bay Area unique … to further the development of Bay Area MFA students, and to foster the exploration of their artistic potential in hybrid practice, installation, mixed media, painting, photography, and sculpture.”
As part of his award, Wilson will have his creations displayed in a professionally curated exhibition at SOMArts Cultural Center in September. He describes his introspective art as being “stitched together by themes of masculinity and sexuality in Black men and Black history.”
At Ohio Wesleyan, Wilson earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts, concentrating on jewelry/metals. He currently is pursuing his Master of Fine Arts at the University of California, Berkeley. Though he now lives on the West Coast, Wilson remains connected with Ohio Wesleyan, serving as associate member of the Ross Art Museum's National Board of Advisors.
Read more about Wilson’s artistic vision and see examples of his work on his website at www.aiwart.com. Learn more about Ohio Wesleyan’s Department of Fine Arts at www.owu.edu/finearts.