Kalup Linzy

Kalup Linzy is an American video and performance artist. His work has garnered numerous institutional awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Creative Capital Grant, a Jerome Foundation Grant, and a NYFA. Public collections include the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Linzy is represented by David Castillo Gallery in Miami Beach, Florida, and The Breeder Gallery in Athens, Greece. He serves on the board of the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts and is a 2019 Tulsa Artist Fellow.

Meredith Stoudenmire

Born 1975 in Greenville, SC. Lives and works in Greenville, SC.

1999 BFA, Atlanta College of Art, Atlanta, GA.

"Stoudenmire's works are powerful because they create a feeling of innocence and a sense of danger. Euphoric feelings experienced in childhood are paired with environments that appear to be on the verge of a nightmare. Maintaining their innocence and oblivious to the dangers surrounding them, the children in these works move through the forecasted perils unaffected. With no conclusions in sight, the viewer may find themselves fearing for her subjects and hoping they find their way to safety before what feels like the inevitable happens."

Artwork Image: Volcano River, 2018. Acrylic on canvas. 26 x 30 x 1 in.

Zakriya Rabani

Born 1993 in Naples, FL. Lives and works in Tallahassee, FL.

2018 MFA, University of South Florida, Tampa. 2015 BFA University of Florida, Gainesville.

"As a response to spending the majority of his life in academic institutions, Rabani’s work explores and critiques ideologies that have allowed these systems to remain in place. When diving deeper into his work, one might uncover answers or even begin to mine the subcultures that have been created as a result of these entities."

Artwork Image: Divine Decks, Tampa, 2018. Used skateboard decks, wood, shoelace, steel, light.

Ruth Owens

Born 1959 in New Orleans, LA. Lives and works in New Orleans, LA.

2018 MFA, University of New Orleans, LA.

"Owens' well balanced compositions and emotional use of colors with children as subjects, give semblance of an adult still connected to childhood memories. Although her brushstrokes lean toward something abstract, the emotions of the artist and her subjects aren’t forfeited. Her execution draws the viewer in more, hankering them to spend more time engaging with her narratives."

Artwork Image: Baby Love, 2018. Oil on canvas. 36 x 48 x 2 in.