Jan 3, 2025

Black Artist Fellowship Updates

by: Jenny Donnelly Johnson

Mural Arts' Black Artist Fellowship Annual Exhibition 

Opening Reception  |  February 8, 2025  |  5:00 – 8:00 pm  |  Ubuntu Fine Art Gallery 

Mural Arts is proud to celebrate the work of our 5th-year cohorts for the Philadelphia Black Artists Fellows at Ubuntu Fine Art Gallery. The exhibition opens on February 8, 2025 with a reception from 5:00pm – 8:00pm. It is free and open to the public. The Gallery is located at 5423 Germantown Ave in historic Germantown, Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Fellowship for Black Artists was designed in 2020 to fund, foster, and elevate the important work of emerging Black artists living in Philadelphia.  It is presented by TD Bank.

The goal of the Fellowship is to build a long term community and creative connections among Fellows by fostering a spirit of practical, complimentary teamwork.  Mural Arts will facilitate the development of skill building by providing equitable exposure to public and private art projects.  Furthermore, the Fellowship looks to strengthen their connections not only to each other, but to the greater community, culminating in the presentation of their work/practice to the larger community through a curated group show.

New Curator for the Black Artist Fellowship Fellowship Exhibition 

Photo: Annabel Kiley

Chelsey Luster, a former fellow from the 2022 cohort, will curate this year’s annual fellowship exhibition. Chelsey’s perspective as a former fellow will surely bring a unique and insightful approach to this year’s exhibition. The Mural Arts fellowship has included some amazing cohorts, we hope now and continuing on to celebrate and amplify our past fellows’ talents while fostering ongoing connections within the Mural Arts and broader Philadelphia Arts community with our new cohorts.

Chelsey Luster is a Philadelphia-based curator and visual artist from Baltimore, Maryland. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Tyler School of Art and Architecture. Chelsey’s artistic practice focuses on exploring the complexities of safe spaces within Queer and Black culture. Through mixed-media paintings and immersive installations, she gives agency to her subjects, telling their stories of physical and mental safe spaces inspired by interviews and photoshoots.

As a curator, Chelsey centers experimental installations and storytelling through diverse narratives. Her curatorial approach reimagines the role of the curator, not as a gatekeeper, but as a collaborator and community-builder. This is evident in her work with Philadelphia art institutions like IceBox Project Space, Da Vinci Art Alliance, and the William Way LGBT+ Center, where her exhibitions act as platforms for social resistance. Chelsey’s relationships with artists are grounded in mutual care, long-term support, and respect for boundaries, helping to foster a more equitable and supportive art community.

New Selection Committee for 2025 

As we prepare for the 2025 Fellowship, we are excited to share that the selection process for our cohorts will now be conducted by a committee. This diverse group of knowledgeable arts professionals will help us break down barriers to access while fostering and nurturing Philadelphia’s next wave of artistic talent. With their support, we aim to provide sustainable resources, meaningful mentorship, and expanded opportunities—empowering our cohorts to bring their voices and visions to the ever-evolving cultural fabric of our city.

This committee includes a Resident Artist, a former fellow, and an esteemed arts educator from one of Philadelphia’s largest arts institutions. We believe this diverse range of voices reflects our organization’s commitment to ensuring that artists play a vital role in shaping not only the fabric of Mural Arts but also Philadelphia’s cultural landscape.

Joining current committee members Noah Smalls and Ginger Rudolph will be:

Shivon Pearl Love is a cultural strategist, preservationist and educator, based in Philadelphia. She works as an arts administrator and cultural producer, connecting artists and organizations to resources and opportunities. Shivon has held leadership roles within several Philadelphia institutions, cultivating relationships and resources, building organizational and community capacity, resilience and self-determination. An advocate of both artists and the arts, she regularly serves on grantmaking panels and selection committees for local organizations, including the Leeway Foundation, Philadelphia Cultural Fund and the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival. Additionally, Shivon is a founding editor of the National Black Food and Justice Alliance’s academic journal, Land, Food and Freedom and co-founder of the award-winning culinary and literature project, Our Mothers’ Kitchens.

Yannick Lowery is an interdisciplinary artist currently residing and working in Philadelphia, PA. Originally from New York City, he embraces both cities as cultural and creative influences, drawing on their rich and diverse visual art histories to fuel his practice. Yannick studied sculpture and graphic design at The Atlanta College of Art (now SCAD) and Columbia College in Chicago.

Yannick’s work often weaves together illustrated proverbs, premonitions, and historical references to guide viewers through cultural introspection and imaginative narratives. Using archival imagery and his own photography, he engages in world-building through collage, animation, and sculptural pieces, creating thought-provoking and exploratory works. Yannick has also gained recognition as an illustrator, with features in major publications such as The New York Times, Artforum, The Atlantic, and Time Magazine, among others.

Felix St. Fort is a native Philadelphian who received his BFA in Illustration from The University of the Arts in 2002. A gifted teacher, illustrator, photographer, and muralist, St. Fort has worked for Mural Arts Philadelphia for ten years as both an assistant and lead artist. St. Fort’s personal work consists of watercolors, acrylics and digital media. He has sold his work in galleries and has also created privately-commissioned pieces.

Last updated: Jan 6, 2025

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