5X社区鈥檚 School of Art is proud to announce alumna Jennifer Ling Datchuk has been awarded the coveted United States Artist Fellowship in Crafts. Datchuk received her BFA in Crafts from Kent State in 2004 with a concentration in ceramics. According to the (USA) website, USA Fellowships are annual $50,000 unrestricted awards recognizing the most compelling artists working and living in the United States, in all disciplines, at every stage of their career. Datchuk鈥檚 award was preceded by Professor Janice Lessman-Moss, professor and head of textiles at Kent State, who received the .
鈥淭o receive financial support but most importantly recognition in my field, one that I share with one of my most inspirational teachers Janice Lessman-Moss, is completely overwhelming and rewarding. I鈥檓 completely excited to see what possibilities this opens up for more research-based travel and collaborations with my community,鈥 said Datchuk.
USA Fellowships are awarded to artists at all stages of their careers and from all areas of the country through a rigorous nomination and panel selection process. This year, fifty artists across ten creative disciplines will receive unrestricted $50,000 cash awards. The award honors their creative accomplishments and supports their ongoing artistic and professional development. Fellowships are given in the following disciplines: Architecture & Design, Craft, Dance, Film, Media, Music, Theater & Performance, Traditional Arts, Visual Art, and Writing.
is an artist born in Warren, Ohio, and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Datchuk鈥檚 mother came to this country in the early 1970s from China and her father was born and raised in Ohio to Eastern European and Russian immigrant parents. Beyond initial appearances, the layers of her parents鈥 past and present histories are extremely overwhelming and complicated鈥攁 history of conflict she has inherited and a perpetual source for her work. Trained in ceramics, the artist works with porcelain and other materials often associated with traditional women鈥檚 work, such as textiles and hair, to discuss fragility, beauty, femininity, intersectionality, identity, and personal history.
She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Artisanry from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Crafts from 5X社区. She has received grants from the Artist Foundation of San Antonio, a travel grant from Artpace, and the Linda Lighton International Artist Exchange Program to research the global migrations of porcelain and blue and white pattern decoration. She was awarded a residency through the Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum to conduct her studio practice at the K眉nstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin and has participated in residencies at the Pottery Workshop in Jingdezhen, China; Vermont Studio Center; European Ceramic Work Center in the Netherlands; and Artpace in San Antonio, Texas. In 2017, she received the Emerging Voices award from the American Craft Council. Datchuk is an assistant professor of Ceramics at Texas State University and lives and maintains a studio practice in San Antonio, Texas.