News – Sheridan Media
Sheridan College Photography and Printmaking Assistant Professor and Gallery Director of the Whitney Center for the Arts Brittney Denham has been named a Windgate Artist Fellow by the Vermont Studio Center (VSC).
According to a release, the VSC awards three Windgate Artist Fellowships to support traditional craft artists with an all-expense paid four-week residency sponsored by the Windgate Charitable Foundation.
The VSC was founded by artists Fred Osborne, Jon Gregg, and Louise von Weise in 1984 with values based upon Northern Vermont traditions of respect for nature, modest comfort, privacy, beauty, and an unhurried way of life, according to their official website.
“When I think of all of the artists involved in the canon of craft, I can’t help but feel honored, humbled, and advocated for,” Denham said. “I’m a parent, a professor, and a gallery director, so to think about entering a space where I am being taken care of and nourished while I will live, breathe, eat, and sleep artwork makes me feel like I will create a year’s worth of art in a month’s time.”
Sarah Heuck Sinclair, SC’s Dean of Arts and Sciences, said that Denham is an excellent role model for the student body.
“We are so lucky to have faculty members like Brittney who are doing these big things because it sets the best example for our students,” Sinclair said. “The idea that our faculty are going big, putting themselves out there, shows students what can happen and what should happen if you work hard at your craft.”
Denham submitted predominantly textile work that is based on her experiences of motherhood.
“Usually, motherhood is a taboo subject in the art world, but I only know how to make art through my own experiences,” Denham said. “Motherhood is universal; we all come from a mother, we are mothers, or we know a mother in our life. My world revolves around my children, and so my work predominantly lives through that lens.”
Sinclair believes that the time Denham will dedicate to this fellowship will benefit her art and classroom.
“I know she will capture new energy to bring back into the classroom, and that’s what matters most to me as a Dean, how it translates to our students,” she said.
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Last modified: December 15, 2022