IU Launches Engaged Artist-in-Residence Program
Zakkiyyah najeebah dumas o'neal will be the inaugural Engaged Artist-in-Residence. (photo courtesy of Zakkiyyah najeebah dumas o'neal)
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Arts and Humanities Council at Indiana University has established a new Engaged Artist-in-Residence program. The university says the program will bring two working artists to the Bloomington campus annually to take part in a series of workshops, outreach programs and exhibitions.
The program will begin this fall at the Gayle Karch Cook Center for Public Arts and Humanities. IU says the residencies are designed to “advance a model of engaged artistic practice” to support artists whose careers can be furthered through access to IU’s curation, collections, and research resources.
Chicago-based visual artist, educator and independent curator Zakkiyyah najeebah dumas o’neal will be the inaugural Engaged Artist-in-Residence for the fall 2021 semester. During her residence, she will have access to a working studio inside the Cook Center and will hold a masterclass and studio visits with students in the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design.
“The Engaged Artist-in-Residence is the perfect program to kick off the Cook Center’s first full academic year of operation, and zakkiyyah najeebah dumas o’neal is the ideal artist to inaugurate the program,” Ed Dallis-Comentale, director of the IU Arts and Humanities Council, said. “The program exemplifies the spirit of the Cook Center by promoting meaningful engagements with the arts for all members of the Bloomington community and encouraging stronger connections between campus and city. It also provides a vital platform and ample resources for artists at important stages of their careers to expand their creative portfolio.”
The program is supported by $18,000 in funding from the Indiana University Women’s Philanthropy Leadership Council, and through the Arts and Humanities Council, which is supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.