2021/2022 MCAD-Jerome Fellowship Exhibition

Main Gallery

MCAD and the Jerome Foundation are pleased to present an exhibition of new projects by the four recipients of the 2021/22 MCAD–Jerome Foundation Fellowships for Early Career Artists: KOBI, Sarah Sampedro, Brooks Turner, and Shun Yong.
 

The Jerome Foundation has generously supported this fellowship program since its inception in 1981.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS
KOBI is a multidisciplinary Liberian/Ghanian artist working primarily in film and photography. He believes that the art we make is an extension of who we were, who we are, and who we want to become. KOBI’s artistry has evolved from one about reparation and become more about the preservation and restoration of his self-identity and the identity of Black people. KOBI uses film and analogue photography to convey his trauma and propose a solution of healing through conversations about acceptance and accountability. He obtained his BFA in Integrated Media and Film production from St. Cloud State University and is currently a member of the Public Functionary (PF) Studio 400 program.

Sarah Sampedro is a Minneapolis-based photographer and educator. Her artwork examines the correlation between interpersonal space and social contracts as they relate to relationship, community, and belonging. Her art considers the histories, both personal and collective, that shape our perceptions of Self and Other, and the binary of “mine” and “yours.” Her work is an attempt to understand the psychological and constructed space that exists between all of us. Recent artwork themes include the 1862 Homestead Act, gentrification in her Minneapolis neighborhood, racially restrictive real estate contracts in Hennepin County, and the connection between power and agency. Sampedro was 2011/12 recipient of a MN State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant, 2018 artist in residence at the Milchoff Atelier (Berlin, Germany), and 2019 recipient of the Picture Berlin Artist Residency (Berlin, Germany). She also chaired the Minneapolis Art Commission and sat on the Minneapolis Public Arts Advisory Panel. Sampedro holds an MFA in Photography and Moving Images from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and teaches at the University of Minnesota and Century College.

Brooks Turner is an artist, writer, and educator based in Minneapolis. Through diverse methodologies that include archival research, writing, collage, digital drawing, and installation, Turner engages the history of fascism in Minnesota as a synecdoche for understanding and challenging the aesthetics of U.S. History and the imperialist ideologies it enshrines. As an Artist-in-Residence at the Weisman Art Museum, he created a 32-page newspaper-artwork supported by an Artist Initiative Grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board and a Project Support Grant from Rimon: The Minnesota Jewish Arts Council. More than 42,000 copies were printed: 5000 were stacked as a minimalist sculpture at the Weisman, while the remaining were distributed as an insert in the Sunday Star Tribune. His work has also appeared at St. Cloud State University, Soo Visual Art Center, Steve Turner Contemporary, Claremont Graduate University, the Chicago Art Department, and the Zhou B Art Center, among others. He is the author of A Guide to Charles Ray Sleeping Mime, published with Paperleaf Press, as well as numerous essays published by HAIRandNAILS, Art Papers, and MnArtists. Turner received a BA from Amherst College and a MFA from the University of California, Los Angeles. He is currently Chair of Visual Art at St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists and a lecturer at the University of Minnesota and St. Cloud State University. 

Shun Yong is a fine art photographer and multidisciplinary artist. A fear of loss, generational trauma, and curiosity motivate him to make photographs. Yong’s Occupation series investigates his identity as a second-generation Chinese immigrant in Malaysia as well as a new immigrant to the U.S. Producing the Occupation series has not only helped him achieve a sense of belonging in both places, but also allows him to connect with family and strangers alike. Yong’s C-H-F investigates what motivates Asian climbers to take part in what is considered a “White” sport. He is also the co-founder of CarryOn Homes, a collaborative dedicated to telling the stories of immigrants and refugees in the US through art. By engaging the public in cross-cultural dialogue, CarryOn Homes creates spaces for immigrants and marginalized communities to feel a sense of belonging and empowerment. Yong holds an MFA in Visual Studies from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and a BS in Physics from St. Cloud State University. His personal work has been shown at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Art at 801 Gallery, and Soo Visuals Art Center. His work as a collective has been exhibited in numerous venues across Minnesota, including the Minneapolis Institute of Art and Walker Art Center. Yong is the recipient of a 2019 MCBA/Jerome Foundation Book Arts Fellowship Series XV.

Image Credit: KOBI