YoungArts Champions Emerging Artists at Miami Art Week 2018

During Miami Art Week 2018, the National YoungArts Foundation brought emerging artists to the fore by announcing a major new granting program for early career visual artists and partnering with major fairs to exhibit the work of YoungArts alumni.

Festivities began on Monday, December 4 at the YoungArts campus with an exclusive private dinner honoring multimedia artist and YoungArts Master Teacher Derrick Adams. The event was hosted by Sarah Arison, Carolina García Jayaram, José Parlá, Mickalene Thomas, PRIMARY. gallery, and Duane McLaughlin and Amber Ridinger-McLaughlin and sponsored by YoungArts Visual Arts Discipline Partner Related Group. The evening included pop-up performances by Delali Ayivor (2011 Winner in Writing & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts) and India Carney (2011 Winner in Theater and Voice & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts). Notable attendees included Jorge and Darlene Pérez, Swizz Beatz, Amar'e Stoudemire, Anne Pasternak, Bob Lynch, Renee Cox and YoungArts master teacher Naomi Fisher (1994 Winner in Visual Arts).

On Wednesday, December 6, YoungArts announced the creation of the "Daniel Arsham Fellowship, presented by the Ridinger-McLaughlin Family," a major new granting program for aspiring visual artists up to three years of receiving their Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. SHENEQUA, a textile interdisciplinary artist and 2011 Winner in Visual Arts, has been named the inaugural Daniel Arsham Fellow and will receive a $25,000 unrestricted prize and year-long mentorship opportunities with Arsham. SHENEQUA was selected by a jury of internationally renowned artists and YoungArts Master Teachers including Derrick Adams, José Parlá, Teresita Fernández and Daniel Arsham (1999 Winner in Visual Arts), and YoungArts President and CEO Carolina García Jayaram.

The announcement of the Daniel Arsham Fellowship was celebrated on Saturday, December 9 at the annual ÄRT MAISON party hosted by online marketing power couple JR and Loren Ridinger of SHOP.COM at their historic Casa de Sueños Estate, along with Duane McLaughlin and Amber Ridinger-McLaughlin of DNA Atelier, in collaboration with Bentley Motors Inc., Market America and SHOP.com. The evening welcomed artists Shepard Fairey, Beau Dunn, and Gregory Siff; musicians and singers Alicia Keys, Swizz Beatz, Fat Joe, Israel Houghton, J Balvin, and Tico Torres; actresses Eva Longoria, Lala Anthony, Gabrielle Anwar and husband financier Shareef Malnik; supermodels Petra Nemcova and Karolina Kurkova with husband Archie Drury; NBA star Amar'e Stoudemire; singer and TV personality Adrienne Bailon; DJs and style influencers Brendan Fallis and Hannah Bronfman, Virgil Abloh; stylist/artist Luka Sabbat; TV personalities Caroline Stanbury and Juliet Angus (Ladies of London), Jonathan Cheban (Keeping Up with the Kardashians) LuAnn de Lesseps (Real Housewives of NY); socials Fabian and Martina Basabe, Camilla Olsson; entrepreneur Jason Rubell; collector Delphine de Causans; entrepreneur Patrick Finnegan; Haute Living CEO and publisher Kamal Hotchandani; film producers Francesca Silvestri and Kevin Chinoy; model Ines Rivero; fashion designers Ronnie Fieg, Carolina Sarria; and more. The evening featured performances by YoungArts alumni including Grammy Award-winning recording artist Grace Weber (2006 Winner in Voice & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts) and world-renowned pianist and composer Samora Pinderhughes (2009 Winner in Jazz), as well as music by DJ Cassidy. A focal point of the night was Arsham's original work Lunar Garden.

On Thursday, December 7, Surface Magazine Editor-in-Chief Spencer Bailey moderated a design talk with Derrick Adams, Simon Haas and Carolina García Jayaram in the YoungArts Jewel Box as part of the organization's annual Art Basel Miami Beach VIP Tour & Breakfast in celebration of Miami Art Week. The morning began with a gallery tour of IMAGINATION LAND: Fantastical Narrative led by YoungArts master teacher and curator Derrick Adams followed by the talk. Guests were treated to a curated pop-up shop by Marysia Swim and delicious breakfast offerings. In addition to the host committee - Susanne Birbragher, Fernanda Domit, Monica Kalpakian, Chad and Ilona Oppenheim, Mayi and Daniel de la Vega and Terry Zucker - notable guests included Sarah Arison, Marysia Reeves, Nazneen Ahmed, Frank Liebetrau, Chad and Willie Logan, Florence Quinn and Claudia Cisneros.

On Saturday, December 9, Samba Sol unveiled a special collaboration featuring sandals designed by YoungArts alumni Panteha Abareshi (2017 Winner in Visual Arts), Caley Buck (2017 Winner in Visual Arts), Isabela Dos Santos (2011 Winner in Cinematic Arts & U. S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts), and Nadia Wolff (2016 Winner in Design Arts and Visual Arts & U. S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts).

Throughout the week, art seekers visited IMAGINATION LAND: Fantastical Narrative on view at the YoungArts Gallery through December 15. Curated by Derrick Adams, the exhibition presents new and recent interdisciplinary works by 11 YoungArts alumni that address consumerism, gender roles, the environment and ceremonial ritual. Highlights include And we were changed (2016), a video performance by Elle Cox (2017 Winner in Visual Arts & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts); work by Glenn Davis (2013 Winner in Visual Arts); a mixed media installation by David Correa x Albert Checa (2017 Winners in Visual Arts) and works by Su Wan Kim (2015 Winner in Cinematic Arts and Visual Arts), Mateo Nava (2013 Winner in Visual Arts & U.S Presidential Scholar in the Arts), Mika Rosenberg (2014 Winner in Visual Arts), Sebastian Ruiz (2014 Winner in Visual Arts), Celia Shaheen (2015 Winner in Visual Arts), Cornelius Tulloch (2016 Winner in Design Arts and Visual Arts & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts), and Wade Winslow (2016 Winner in Visual Arts).

At PULSE, curator Helen Toomer showcased works by 15 YoungArts alumni that respond to the current political climate and bring forward a poignant feeling of searching. Featured artists were Alyssa Ackerman (2015 Winner in Visual Arts), Walker Bankson (2017 Winner in Photography), Nikolas Bentel (2012 Winner in Visual Arts), Tracey Bullington (2009 Winner in Visual Arts), Arthur Cooke (2014 Winner in Photography), Cheryl Ellzysmith (2007 Winner in Visual Arts), Ilana Goldmeier (2010 Winner in Photography), Alex Mediate (2016 Winner in Photography), Isabella Mellado (2014 Winner in Visual Arts), Sarah Miller (2013 Winner in Photography), Sue Montoya (2009 Winner in Visual Arts), Andrea Reyes (2017 Winner in Photography), Brenda Rodriguez (2016 Winner in Visual Arts), Cornelius Tulloch (2016 Winner in Design Arts and Visual Arts & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts), and Wade Winslow (2016 Winner in Visual Arts).

At Fair., YoungArts alumni Kira Bursky (2014 Winner in Cinematic Arts), Ruby Drake (2015 Winner in Cinematic Arts), Gabrielle Gorman (2016 Winner in Cinematic Arts), and Lauryn Henry (2016 Winner in Cinematic Arts) joined the all-female art experience curated by Miami gallerist Anthony Spinello and Faena Art Director of Exhibitions for Miami Zoe Lukov at Brickell City Center.

Also on view at the YoungArts Jewel Box was Creative Class, a pop-up exhibition celebrating diversity in artistic expression with five artists working across a spectrum of mediums. Presented by HVW8 Gallery and Adidas Originals, the exhibition featured a new installation of photography by Lisa Leone, YoungArts Vice President of Artistic Programs, focused on the final period before hip-hop's mainstream cultural influence and global expansion, as well as an of installation works by Los Angeles-based artist Kilo Kish, new paintings on paper by Brian Lotti, an interactive installation of photographs by Atiba Jefferson, and select works by Paris-based painter Inès Longevial.

The National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) was established in 1981 by Lin and Ted Arison to identify and nurture the most accomplished young artists in the visual, literary, design and performing arts, and assist them at critical junctures in their educational and professional development. Through a wide range of annual programs, performances, and partnerships with some of the nation's leading cultural institutions, YoungArts aspires to create a strong community of alumni and a platform for a lifetime of encouragement, opportunity and support.

YoungArts' signature program is an application-based award for emerging artists ages 15-18 or in grades 10-12 from across the United States. Selected through a blind adjudication process, YoungArts winners receive valuable support, including financial awards of up to $10,000, professional development and educational experiences working with renowned mentors-such as Debbie Allen, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Rebecca Walker, Plácido Domingo, Frank Gehry, Jeff Koons, Wynton Marsalis, Salman Rushdie and Carrie Mae Weems-and performance and exhibition opportunities at some of the nation's leading cultural institutions, including The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington, D.C.), The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), The Museum of Modern Art (New York) and New World Center (Miami). Additionally, YoungArts winners are eligible for nomination as a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, one of the nation's highest honors for high school students who exemplify academic and artistic excellence.

YoungArts winners become part of a thousands-strong alumni network of artists, which offers them additional professional opportunities throughout their careers. YoungArts alumni who have gone on to become leading professionals in their fields include actresses Viola Davis, Anna Gunn, Zuzanna Szadkowski and Kerry Washington; Broadway stars Raúl Esparza, Billy Porter, Andrew Rannells and Tony Yazbeck; recording artists Josh Groban, Judith Hill and Chris Young; Metropolitan Opera star Eric Owens; musicians Terence Blanchard, Gerald Clayton, Jennifer Koh and Elizabeth Roe; choreographers Camille A. Brown and Desmond Richardson; visual artists Daniel Arsham and Hernan Bas; internationally acclaimed multimedia artist Doug Aitken; New York Times bestselling author Sam Lipsyte; and Academy Award winners Doug Blush and Tarell Alvin McCraney.

For more information, visit youngarts.org, facebook.com/YoungArtsFoundation or twitter.com/YoungArts. To watch a brief video about YoungArts, click here.

ÄRT MAISON is an annual celebration of fresh talent and emerging stars in the world of visual art. Designed and curated by DNA Atelier co-founders Duane McLaughlin and Amber Ridinger-McLaughlin, the event brings audiences into the intimate and disruptive inner worlds of its featured artists, who have included Mr. Brainwash, Retna, and CJ Hendry. ÄRT MAISON has become recognized as a "melting pot" of visionaries, industry leaders and social disruptors whose passion and talents create infrastructure to support a thriving artistic community.

Founded in 2005, PULSE Contemporary Art Fair is an established part of the annual art calendar and is recognized for providing its international community of emerging and established galleries with a dynamic platform for connecting with a global audience. PULSE offers visitors an engaging environment in which to discover and collect the most compelling contemporary art being produced today. For further information about PULSE Contemporary Art Fair, visit www.pulse-art.com.

Fair. is a convening, a message, a unique curated experience.
Fair. is alternative non-commercial art fair; a platform for a diverse and multigenerational group of women artists.
Fair. seeks to address gender inequality in the art world and beyond by providing space for radical women artists to create site-specific interventions in a non-traditional venue.