Carlos Llobet-Montealegre Receives 2020 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in Printmaking
Please join us in congratulating Carlos Llobet-Montealegre – Member, Teaching Artist, Exhibitor, and Volunteer at Book Arts – on being awared a prestigious NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in 2020!
Carlos was selected out of 4,000 applicants, but we know he’s one in a million!
The New York Foundation for the Arts Artist Fellowship program, with leadership support from the New York State Council on the Arts, makes unrestricted cash grants of $7,000 to artists working in 15 disciplines, awarding Fellowships to five disciplines per year on a triennial basis. Since it was launched in 1985, the program has awarded over $32.5 million to more than 5,000 artists.
Each year, the NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship offers a unique snapshot of contemporary arts across New York State. From almost 4,000 applications in five disciplines, there were key themes that emerged. Shining a light on the diverse cultural fabric that makes up the state were explorations of race and ethnicity, immigration, cultural displacement, and what it means to be a first-generation American as well as work that examines current political issues such as climate change, LGBTQIA+ rights, and racial and gender equality from highly personal perspectives.
The program is highly competitive and this year’s recipients and finalists were selected by discipline-specific peer panels.
“This year is an especially meaningful one in the long history of this program, as unrestricted artist grants are needed now more than ever,” said Michael L. Royce, Executive Director of NYFA.
“I had so much fun and instantly fell in love with the letterpresses they have in the basement – in Costa Rica, where I am from, letterpress is all but extinct. So, seeing these presses really got me excited about the possibilities.”
Carlos on his time in Buffalo:
“This story begins on August 9th of 2017, I came to Western NY to attend the MFA program at UB. I had no expectation of Buffalo and was prepared to adapt to whatever It threw at me. I had been awarded a full scholarship and a stipend in exchange to be a Graduate instructor. My vast experience in screen printing helped me get this great opportunity.
What I did not expect was the warmth Buffalonians gave me, from the beginning I was treated with kindness and love. Because of the good relations Jeff Sherven in the print department at UB has with all the print shops, studios, and businesses, my Buffalo “family” grew.
One of these places was the Western New York Book Art Center. The first activity I went to Book Arts was the Liquor and Letterpress. I had so much fun and instantly fell in love with the letterpresses they have in the basement in Costa Rica, where I am from, letterpress is all but extinct. So, seeing these presses really got me excited about the possibilities.
The next awesome experience I had was the exhibition,”I’m trying to remember, pero nunca olvidaré” Kit MacNeill and I had there in March of 2018 at Book Arts. Little by little I got closer to the staff at the Book Arts, it was until 2018’s BookFest when I truly felt like one of the family. That day was the most fun I had in 10 years, steamrolling some prints was so satisfying. Besides these activities, I also volunteered to help them with moving stuff during the remodeling of the space. They were always super grateful, but it was my pleasure to help them.
I can not express the gratitude I feel to Buffalo. My time there truly felt special and, I will always consider myself an honorary Buffalonian. I will return as soon as I can.”
“I can not express the gratitude I feel to Buffalo. My time there truly felt special and, I will always consider myself an honorary Buffalonian. I will return as soon as I can.”
We love Carlos for his can-do attitude!
From helping us get our reimagined studio space in order, to teaching screen printing demos at an event in partnership with the Albright Knox, to operating a press during a big event, or making art on site with a steamroller, we could always count on Carlos to lend a helping hand – no matter how wild our volunteer opportunities would sometimes become.
Book Arts Members like Carlos, who are so giving of their time and talent, make the work we do sharing printing and book-related arts with the greater Western New York community possible. Not only is he a talented artist who continues to push the boundaries of print media and tells moving stories through his images, he’s an outstanding friend of Book Arts who always says ‘yes!’ to an opportunity to help others experience the joy of this great medium.
We are so grateful to Carlos for all he has done to help Book Arts pursue our mission, we miss him so (so!) much since he left for Costa Rica, and we are incredibly proud of all he has achieved. We can’t wait to see what he is able to make with this wonderful and well-deserved support from a NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship!
The WNY Book Arts Center is proudly supported by the New York State Council on the Arts.