Walter Feldman Fellowship

Offered for 10 consecutive years, the Walter Feldman Fellowship for Emerging Artists supported the professional careers of visual artists through gained knowledge of exhibition practices and curatorial and professional development support.

Chenoa Baker

Walter Feldman Fellowship Juror, 2024

As ‘artists have a duty to reflect the times,’ it is an even rarer gift to provide glimpses of the future. Jo Nanijian (she/her) and Rowan Raskin (they/them) document, commemorate, and excavate symbols of folks in their communities. The painterly sculptures or sculptural paintings by Nanijian are mementos to the missed moments with family abroad and portraits/fossils of our empathy. Raskin reflects the interplanetary bond of queer kinship told in the setting of the Southwest — rodeos, roadkill, and dessert bones. They even endow the edge of each painting with fringe, sequins, or an object leaping off the canvas. Each artist has so much potential. I’m excited to see how the Walter Feldman Fellowship launches them into solo shows, nurturing relationships in the arts, and experimentation of their work.

About Walter Feldman and His Legacy

This program is made possible with the investment of celebrated abstract expressionist artist Walter Feldman (1925-2017), a renowned abstract expressionist who long held the goal to support young artists with opportunities for professional recognition and growth. As such, the application criteria were established by Walter Feldman when founding the program. As a painter, printmaker, and educator who taught students at Brown University over more than 60 years, Mr. Feldman’s legacy will continue to impact young artists through this program.