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Brian Gaither awarded prestigious Vermont Studio Center residency

Brian Gaither's painting, "Accountability," was accepted by the African American Museum in Philadelphia to be shown in the November exhibition "Outcry!" Credit: Brian GaitherAll Rights Reserved.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Brian Gaither, Penn State School of Visual Arts master of fine arts candidate, has been awarded the prestigious 2016 Civil Society Institute Fellowship Award from the Vermont Studio Center, a four-week residency program for visual artists.

"Brian has always displayed an intense focus in his creative research, and he is producing thoughtful artworks that possess formal complexity and moral power," said John Bowman, professor of art. "He is becoming an effective public intellectual, as his personal vision expands to embrace societal issues and service to his community. He makes us proud."

In September, Gaither took the seat of Professional Artist on the Wilkinsburg Community Art & Civic Design Commission. There he helped create the Social Engaged Art & Design (SEAD) Residency Call for Artists that will begin in the spring of 2016. In early October, his painting, "Accountability," was accepted by the African American Museum in Philadelphia to be shown in the November exhibition "Outcry!," which addresses the killing of unarmed African American men, women and children. Another of Gaither's paintings, "Allegory of Justice," was accepted by the Wiseman Gallery at Rogue Community College in Grants Pass, Oregon, for its November exhibit, "Exercising Authority: Racial Minorities in the American Legal System."

The blog 365 Artists 365 Days featured Gaither in a recent interview and took an in-depth look into his work and his background.

Last Updated November 12, 2015