The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia announced the three recipients of its 2024-25 Working Artist Project (WAP) fellowship in July. Guest curator Apsara DiQuinzio, senior curator of contemporary art at the Nevada Museum of Art, chose metro Atlanta artists Ayana Ross, Sergio Suárez and Corrine Colarusso for the prestigious fellowship, bring the total of WAP fellows to 51 over the program’s 17 years.
DiQuinzio initially received hundreds of applications for the WAP, which aims to build Atlanta’s arts community by helping artists remain in the city. After whittling the list to nine finalists, she traveled to Atlanta to meet them.
Credit: Photo courtesy of MOCA GA
Credit: Photo courtesy of MOCA GA
She was pleased at the vibrancy of Atlanta’s art scene, she says in an interview: “It signaled to me that there were a lot of interesting, important developments that were happening in Atlanta.” She was particularly impressed by the support Atlanta artists enjoy from arts institutions in the city. “It was so reassuring and encouraging to see that MOCA GA is really helping to buoy their artistic community in that way,” she says, referring to the fellowship.
DiQuinzio visited each finalist’s studio, meeting with the artists and discussing their work. “[All] nine of those studio visits were fantastic,” she says, noting that each finalist had established a unique style, routine and career momentum. “I could have easily chosen more than three.”
Credit: Photo courtesy of MOCA GA
Credit: Photo courtesy of MOCA GA
Still, on the subject of Ross, Suárez and Colarusso’s work, DiQuinzio’s praise is effusive. The winners’ commitment to their work, she says, is visible in the final product. After 20 years as a curator, she says, “I feel like the really exceptional work stands out very quickly.” Each of this year’s fellows stood out, DiQuinzio explains, “in terms of the excellence of the work, the rigorousness of their practice, their ability to wed form and content.” She was also happy to find three artists whose work probes and reflects their environment.
Ross’ intimate figurative paintings, which often feature her husband and children, are “imbued with a beautiful sense of empathy and care that really draws you in and makes you want to learn more about that person.” Comparing Ross’ work to that of Norman Rockwell, Jordan Casteel and Njideka Akunyili Crosby, DiQuinzio says, “I think that she has this sweetness that she brings to it without becoming too kitsch, which I think is really lovely.”
Credit: Photo courtesy of MOCA GA
Credit: Photo courtesy of MOCA GA
An air of curiosity makes Suárez’s work stand out, DiQuinzio suggests, saying that he “seems to really be pushing each genre or method that he’s working with and diving into all the material components.” She was particularly impressed by his technique and skill with diverse materials. “You don’t get to that level without a lot of rigorous experimentation,” she says.
Colarusso’s paintings, meanwhile, show the artist’s deep engagement with the natural world. “You walk into her studio, and you see that she’s immediately looking outside, out the window,” to the lush landscape on the other side. The paintings’ intricacy and attention to detail have a vibrancy and activity that suggests fleeting moments, DiQuinzio says. “You see someone kind of reveling in the beauty of the natural world,” she says, “and I think that’s something we could all do a lot more of right now.”
Credit: ArtsATL
Credit: ArtsATL
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