{"id":8956,"date":"2021-08-10T16:25:06","date_gmt":"2021-08-10T20:25:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/?p=8956"},"modified":"2021-08-12T10:41:56","modified_gmt":"2021-08-12T14:41:56","slug":"recognition-for-emerging-figurative-artist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/2021\/08\/10\/recognition-for-emerging-figurative-artist\/","title":{"rendered":"Recognition for Emerging Figurative Artist"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Ayana Ross (\u201900) is having a breakout moment as an emerging artist. In May, she was named the winner of the $50,000 biennial Bennett Prize, which attracted 674 entrants. It is the largest prize offered to female artists who paint in the figurative realist style \u2014 a style that features the human form in all its diversity. The prize, created in 2018, is funded by figurative realist art collectors Steven Alan Bennett and his wife Elaine Melotti Schmidt. Ross found out she was one of 10 finalists last fall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo ultimately receive the Bennett Prize is nothing short of a dream come true,\u201d Ross said. \u201cI am beyond grateful for the gift of time and the opportunity to focus on my art full time and further my practice. I could never say thank you enough, so I will do what I do best, which is paint, and let my work be my deepest expression of gratitude.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing up, Ross excelled at drawing, and knew that she wanted to work artistically. That led her to plan for a future in fashion design. She earned her bachelor\u2019s in fashion merchandising and apparel design from Georgia Southern University, then headed to New York City. Ross landed a job as an assistant designer but soon moved back to Georgia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was in New York when 9\/11 occurred and that had a big impact on my life and my career goals,\u201d she explained. \u201cI saw it happening because I was walking to work late that day. It became difficult for me to focus (after 9\/11) sitting at a desk and trying to design prints. I was so young. It was just a challenging time for me.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ross, who lives near Atlanta, changed careers, and began teaching. She went back to school for a master\u2019s degree and gained certification as an art teacher. She now teaches primarily in high schools. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile I was teaching, I was also developing my craft,\u201d she said, \u201cand I reconnected with my interest in pure art making like drawing and painting.\u201d For the last 10 years, she has been exhibiting and selling the artwork she creates at all hours in her home studio. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have early morning studio hours that typically start around 4:30 a.m.,\u201d she noted. \u201cI also work in the evenings, on weekends and during breaks.\u201d The alumna lived her early years in Baxley, Georgia, before her family moved to middle Georgia. The connection she feels to her roots in Baxley is often what inspires her paintings that pay homage to everyday individuals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI give a lot of credit to the Baxley roots, just because a lot of my work right now has imagery from that part of my life,\u201d Ross said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The artist describes her figurative paintings as visually nostalgic. In her artist statement Ross explains her work highlights racial and gender disparities, and intergenerational mobility. She points out her figurative paintings are about more than the individuals visible within the picture plane, they acknowledge those unseen who, with tremendous effort and sacrifice, made the moment possible. In her classes at Georgia Southern, Ross spent many hours looking at prints, patterns and bold colors, which she now incorporates in her paintings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI like to tell stories in my work, so I have a lot of narrative types of painting that’s reflective oftentimes on historical events within my family,\u201d Ross said. \u201cBut I have expanded more to historical issues within our society. What I try to focus on is my perspective of things as a woman, as a woman of color and looking at historical experiences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The COVID-19 pandemic inspired a recent painting that she drew amid the debate of whether kids should have in-person or virtual school. It pictures a little girl in a cute dress and shoes, sitting at a table with her feet dangling, and around her is a fragmented space that could be pieces of a home or school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe is super focused on her work and it was inspired by a student,\u201d Ross said. \u201cBut it is really more about everything that got her there and the love and care of her, and of her mother in getting her dressed and groomed and prepared for doing her schoolwork, and being given that space whether it is school or home.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That piece is currently on view at the Muskegon Museum of Art (MMA) in Michigan, which also showcases the artwork of all the Bennett Prize finalists. The funds will help Ross create new pieces for a traveling exhibition of her work. The artist said she is grateful for the increased recognition that comes with the prestigious award. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The Bennett Prize has quite a reputation, so having your artwork and your name associated with it is a huge honor,\u201d she said. \u201cRecognition as a finalist alone opened a few doors for new opportunities and allowed me to connect with new collectors as well.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mother of four added she is blessed to have the support of her husband, parents and other family members. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have had tremendous support from those that love me, and without them I don\u2019t know what things would look like now,\u201d she said. \u2014 Sandra Bennett<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ayana Ross (\u201900) is having a breakout moment as an emerging artist.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":8978,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[66],"class_list":["post-8956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","tag-summer-2021"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t