Arts briefs: Hub-Bub wins grant for artists (Porkulus at work in Spartenburg SC)

Hub-Bub has been awarded a grant for $10,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts for the Hub-Bub Artists-in-Residence program.

Only 30 other artists' communities in the U.S. will receive funding from the NEA during this grant cycle.

Hub-Bub will also receive funding in 2010 from the Dedalus Foundation, which fosters public understanding of modern art by facilitating research, publications and exhibitions in the field. Funding from Dedalus will be used to bring six visiting artists to Spartanburg over the next year for community-based art projects.

This isn't your mother's Upstate.

Let us look at some of the great folks being paid for by this Porkulus grant:

Jameelah Lang (B. 1985, Lawrence, Kansas). Her mother is from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and her father is from Bridgeport, Connecticut. Jameelah spent most of her life living within a mile radius of her childhood home, and her mother was very happy about this.

She received her undergraduate degree at the University of Kansas in English literature, and she is currently working on her thesis in order to complete an MFA in creative writing, also from K.U. She writes fiction and creative non-fiction, and she also sometimes writes folktales. Her philosophy on writing is, “Lie, cheat, steal.”

During her year at HUB-BUB, she hopes to begin work on a series of short stories based on her experiences growing up as a Middle Eastern American in the Midwest. The stories will deal with what is lost, personally and culturally, in a bicultural or multicultural family. She is also excited to schmooze with other artists and writers, maybe over frozen yogurt.

Esteban del Valle (B. 1984, Chicago) is a painter currently exploring issues surrounding the relationship between theology and the pursuit of “true” democracy. Drawn to the iconic imagery of revolutionary struggles as they appear in the genre of history painting, photography, and film, Esteban has been investigating the moral and ethical questions pertaining to the use of “force” in the struggle for justice and equality. His work often takes the form of large mixed media drawings on canvas.

Esteban completed his BFA at Southern Illinois University where he received a 2007 REACH Creativity Award, and became a McNair Scholar. He has recently completed his MFA at the Rhode Island School of Design, where he received a Presidential Scholarship and the Toby Devan Lewis Fellowship. Esteban has produced murals throughout various parts of the USA, such as Chicago, IL, San Antonio, TX, and Kansas City, MO. He has been in numerous publications and his mural work has been featured on HGTV. Esteban has also been a part of various exhibitions including the 2009 New Insight exhibition at Art Chicago, and Geography of Imagination curated by Phong Bui in New York City. I am very excited about moving to Spartanburg, where I hope to interact with the community and embark on various public art projects.

He is looking forward to working with the very talented group of Hub Bub residents and staff, and the potential for some great artistic developments. He is very eager to explore South Carolina and its rich and diverse cultural components. He loves meeting new people and learning about new places. "Thank you Hub Bub for inviting me!!!"

Gee, seems like a great use for my tax dollars.../s

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