Spokane Public Library partners with EWU Art Program to provide graduating students with artist residencies at The Hive®

(SPOKANE, WASH.) – Spokane Public Library and the Fine and Performing Arts Department at Eastern Washington University (EWU) announce the launch of an Emerging Artists program that provides two recent graduates from the BFA Studio Art program with six-month artist residencies each fall at The Hive®.

“The first few years after students graduate can be very hard because they lose their school studio space and everyday guidance,” said Joshua Hobson, Lecturer and Director of EWU Gallery of Art. “This can result in a loss of momentum and confidence which can take time to recover from. An artist residency at The Hive® offers a landing space for graduates to learn how to incorporate art and their creative practice into their post-graduate life.”

Hobson and his colleagues at EWU are committed to developing community partnerships to benefit art student’s professional growth and development. They connected with Spokane Public Library Arts Education Specialist, Eva Silverstone, who is the leading force behind the artist residency program at The Hive® to brainstorm, create, and implement this new collaboration.

“The incredible mentorship I see within the EWU Fine Arts Program is reflective of the Spokane community as a whole. Spokane is unique in that our creative community is very supportive of one another. It’s less competitive and has more of a ‘rising tide lifts all boats’ mentality,” said Silverstone. “I foresee this partnership continuing to nurture this mindset and produce a high-quality lineup of emerging artists in our region.”

Sharing a studio at The Hive®, recent BFA graduates Noelle Bowden and Luu Melon were the first to be chosen for this unique program because of their exceptional applications, letters of recommendation, and creativity.

“This residency gives me the space and time to expand myself as an emerging artist but also to fearlessly think, explore, and do,” said Bowden. “The environment, other artists, and the community at The Hive® create a wonderful learning and creative atmosphere. The energy is inspiring to me!”

Additionally, Melon reflects on how this residency is helping her become more open to sharing her art with others.

“This residency is a great experience for me as someone who is typically very closed off when it comes to their art practice. I have always found myself more comfortable with keeping the things I create to myself but so far through this residency, I am more open to sharing with others. The environment is very beneficial to my thought process and is helping me discover my own way of doing things.”

You can meet Melon and Bowden and see their work during Open Studio Wednesdays from 4-7pm at The Hive®.