As part of the Working Artist Project, MOCA GA helps with the selection of and pays for studio assistants, usually younger artists, to work alongside the more established artist winners. They assist the winning artists and in turn receive valuable mentoring. The following 2010-2011 studio assistants are being honored with an exhibition at MOCA GA: Stephen Calsbeek (assistant to Micah Stansell); Luis Sierra (assistant to Xie Caomin); and Karen Cleveland (assistant to Katherine Mitchell).
MOCA GA’s Director Annette Cone-Skelton notes that “the mentoring of the studio assistants is a very important component of the Working Artist Project concept. We are pleased to introduce these young artists to the Atlanta arts community and to encourage their increased involvement in that community.”
ABOUT THE WORKING ARTIST PROJECT
The Working Artist Project (WAP) is an award program that was developed by MOCA GA and is funded by a major grant from The Charles Loridans Foundation, with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts. The Project is designed to support established visual artists of merit who reside in the Atlanta metropolitan area. This initiative provides an unparalleled level of support for individual artists, expands MOCA GA’s mission, and promotes Atlanta as a city where artists can live, work and thrive. For each year of funding, MOCA GA invites an outside curator to select three visual artists to receive the award. Among Atlanta's best and brightest, these artists are supported with an exhibition, promotion, a studio assistant and a major monetary stipend to facilitate their work over the course of the year.
Full list of past & current WAP Studio Assistants
2007-2008
Penny Aviles
Yanique Norman
Caroline Powers
Michael Scoffield
2008-2009
Tijana Graham
Christopher Maschinot
Geoffrey Smith
2010-2011
Stephen Calsbeek
Karen Cleveland
Christopher Escobar
Luis Sierra
Lauren Whitton
2011-2012
Hailey Lowe
Ashley Schick
Nathan Sharratt
Jiovnni Tarlington
