Gustavus Adolphus College was recently awarded a three-year, $300,000 grant from the Virginia A. Groot Foundation that will support the development of a visiting artist-in-residence position to be housed in the College’s Art and Art History Department.
“This new partnership will offer our students incredible access to and guidance from a leading sculptor,” said Kristen Lowe, chair of the Gustavus art and art history department. “We are deeply thankful to the Virginia A. Groot Foundation for creating this one-of-a-kind opportunity.”
Open to all qualified three-dimensional artists, preference for the artist-in-residence position will be given to candidates who have previously received first-, second-, or third-place awards from the Virginia A. Groot Foundation, further extending the mission of the Foundation to support three-dimensional artists with time and resources to hone their craft. The mutually beneficial partnership will supplement Gustavus art offerings by providing an additional instructor for one course per semester, hands-on support for students in a studio setting, and new techniques and perspectives that the artist-in-residence will offer to the College community.
The Art and Art History Department is also exploring artist-in-residence possibilities that may include public lectures and exhibitions in the Twin Cities and beyond.
The grant and related residency represent a tangible example of the close ties that the Virginia A. Groot Foundation and the Gustavus art and art history department have developed over the years. The Foundation was founded in 1988 by the late Candice B. Groot ‘76, a Gustavus graduate and former sculpture professor at the College. Gustavus art professor Stan Shetka was the first-ever winner of the Virginia A. Groot Foundation grant contest in 1989.
“Stan has been instrumental in conceiving and building the model for this new program,” Lowe said. “His passion and dedication, paired with the generosity and excitement of the Foundation, will truly help this innovative artist-in-residence program come to life.”
Gustavus has initiated a search for the inaugural Candice Groot Artist-in-Residence. Applications are being accepted through the end of April and Gustavus and hopes to announce the visiting artist by August 1.