Bill Fischer Award
for Visual Artists
Bill Fischer Award for Visual Artists
Deadline for submissions is April 08, 2024
The Bill Fischer Award for Visual Artists is a $10,000 cash prize designed to make a meaningful impact on the career of a visual artist residing in the Louisville Metro Area by providing support in the form of grants for the execution and exhibition of artwork and other efforts to foster a professional career as a visual artist. Recipients of the Fischer Award must show a commitment to experimentation and the creative use of materials and techniques, and a commitment to pursuing a career as a professional working visual artist.
Eligibility:
Recipients of the Fischer Award must show a commitment to experimentation and the creative use of materials and techniques, and a commitment to pursuing a career as a professional working visual artist. Applicants must be residents living in the Louisville Metro Area for a minimum of six months prior to the application deadline. The Metro Area is defined as Jefferson, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer, Bullitt, Nelson, Meade, Trimble and Henry Counties in Kentucky; and Clark, Harrison, Floyd and Washington Counties in Indiana. Applicants must be a minimum of 25 years old and have completed any formal art training a minimum of three years prior to the application deadline, so if you are currently enrolled in an undergraduate or post-graduate art or design program you are not eligible. This is a one-time prize; winners of the Fischer Award are not eligible to apply for future Fischer Awards. The prize may be considered taxable income, so applicants should consult a tax professional. There is no submission fee to the Fischer Award for Visual Artists.
Artists working in the following media are eligible to apply: ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, mixed media, printmaking, graphic design, glass. Artists working in architecture, photography, video, time-based media, limited duration installation and the performing arts are not eligible for this award. Both emerging and established artists are encouraged to apply.
The Bill Fischer Award for Visual Artists is funded by the Artist Bill Fischer Foundation for Working Artists at the Community Foundation of Louisville. Louisville Visual Art serves as the administrative partner to the project and competition process. For more information, please contact amy@louisvillevisualart.org
Have questions? Visit the Fischer FAQ page here
Bill Fischer has had a lifelong love for art. Mr. Fischer trained with the world-renowned artist David Alfaro Siquieros of Mexico and has had countless exhibits in Louisville at the Jewish Community Center, Arts Club of Louisville, Louisville Visual Art and more. Mr. Fischer has dedicated his life to art and established this fund to invest in artists working in Kentucky.
The Community Foundation of Louisville is the largest charitable foundation in Kentucky with over $485 million in assets and more than 1,450 different funds, each with a charitable purpose defined by the donor. In calendar year 2016, the Community Foundation made 9,000 grants totaling $52 million to local, national and national nonprofits. As a leader in philanthropy, we connect donors, nonprofits and civic partners to create lasting impact in community. We have the expertise to help you do more than you ever thought possible with your charitable giving. Join us in being a force for good in our community. For more information, visit www.cflouisville.org and follow us on Twitter at @cflouisville.
Louisville Visual Art with partner,The Community Foundation of Louisville, is pleased to present the 2023 Bill Fischer Award for Visual Artists to LaNia Roberts.
LaNia Roberts was raised in Louisville, Kentucky. She is a practicing professional artist with 12 years experience. From selling her paintings while a student in LVA's CFAC program, to continuing her studies with mentors in Florence, Italy. Throughout an ongoing pandemic, LaNia has stood firm in her artistic pursuits and practice post-grad, demonstrating how serious she is to make her dreams come true to become a thriving contemporary artist. Through her artwork she aims to celebrate the complexities of Black identity and create a space where viewers can engage with and contemplate the many facets of the Black experience.
When asked what this award means to her, LaNia says, “I am beyond grateful for the belief and investment LVA has made in my art career by being selected for the Bill Fischer Award for Visual Artists! With this award, I am able to confidently and comfortably take new risks and create my best work yet. I have just begun a new series of work that I am proud of. This award will create an open door for me to further explore what I am capable of and create work for a future solo show. I hope to make everyone proud! Thank you LVA!"
The Community Foundation of Louisville, with partner Louisville Visual Art, is pleased to present the 2022 Bill Fischer Award for Visual Artists to Lance G. Newman II.
Lance G. Newman II was raised in Louisville, Kentucky. He is a writer, poet, host, actor, performing, visual and teaching artist. His experience is the culmination of a 16-year career performing around the country. Under the name, SpreadLovEnterprise, he teaches his creative writing and public speaking curriculum in schools, community centers and service-providing organizations.
While Lance is more commonly known for his performance poetry and creative writing, in recent years he has taken to visual arts as a way to succinctly express concepts that may be more difficult to put into words. A recurring material in his mixed media works is the waste left behind Black and Mild cigars, a by-product of what Lance refers to as a vice he’s struggled with for years. To lessen his carbon footprint, he creatively uses these excess materials to create intricate sepia-toned artworks with a certain vintage appeal. His work explores the human experience, societal reflections and personal memories. In addition to these themes, Lance says his use of Black and Mild cigar imagery speaks to the blackness and mildness of African Americans and the African diaspora. Through his work, he hopes to bring civility and honor to those once deemed unworthy.
When asked to describe his vision as an artist, Lance says, “My artistic practice is constantly motivated by the desire to provide examples of artistic expression where there previously were none. To blaze a trail so to speak. By utilizing my multidisciplinary skills when creating art, I am able to communicate with various groups of information processors. In my vision, my art is simply a vehicle used to translate various concepts and ideas that I believe would evolve humanity.”
With this $7,000 fellowship award, Lance intends to allocate more space for his art practice. Currently working out of a small office in his home, he plans to convert his garage into a proper studio through repairs, insulation and purchasing equipment that will also allow him to build his own frames. When asked about how the Bill Fischer Award will impact his career, Lance says, “the impact of this award is far more than monetary. It comes at a time in my career where expansion is necessary and it will allow me to properly increase my capacity. Also, it feels like the city is finally seeing me, and that is a lovely feeling. Much Love.”
Recipients of the Fischer Award must show a commitment to experimentation and the creative use of materials and techniques. Lance G. Newman II not only exemplifies the kind of artist Bill Fischer intended to support; Lance hopes to inspire viewers of his artworks to evaluate and change their communities for the better.
The Community Foundation of Louisville, with partner Louisville Visual Art, is pleased to present the 2021 Bill Fischer Award for Visual Artists to Carlos Gamez de Francisco.
Carlos Gamez de Francisco arrived in the United States from Cuba at the age of 21, with only $650 and knowing no English. After spending $600 on art supplies, he committed to learning 100 English words each day and painting each night. Today, Carlos is a full-time artist based in Louisville, Kentucky. Carlos states, “I believe hard work and perseverance are the tools to achieve any goal in life. I am a mix of Indigenous Cuban, European, and African. I have learned that we all come from the same world, and we should be respected as equals. My legacy as an artist is to create awareness about equality.”
His tireless studio practice produces vibrant artworks exploring the history of portraiture through deconstructed representations of power and opulence. For centuries, portraiture was a method for the bourgeoisie to demonstrate wealth and success. By contrast, Carlos’ work seeks to portray ordinary people from various backgrounds. Carlos says “This series is about the uncertainty of what real power means and who has it. It presents critical issues that tend to remain silent. It is about repurposing the meaning of power and constructing hope. The hope to be, the hope to succeed, and the hope of being remembered.” In addition to Western art history, Carlos’ work is also informed by his study of figurative arts via the Russian Academy in post-revolutionary Cuba.
For 15 years without a pause, solo and group exhibitions of Carlos’ work have graced local, national, and international venues. His consistently evolving work has earned him numerous awards during his career. In addition to being a committed full-time artist, he has also been an active member of Louisville Visual Art’s network of local artists, creating artwork for LVA’s Social Distancing Pads for Kentucky, and participating in events such as art [squared] and the Open Studio Series.
When asked how he will use funds from the Bill Fischer Award, Carlos says, “I would love to create a series of portraits depicting people from different races, gender, and in conditions of poverty. I would like to hear their stories and share them through my art. There is no better time to unify our country and work together for a better world. I believe art should be in every community and this series will be a great way to inspire our society for a change. I also would like to share my story as an immigrant to motivate the youngest generation to pursue their dreams and goals.”
The Community Foundation of Louisville, with partner Louisville Visual Art, is pleased to present the 2020 Bill Fischer Award for Visual Artists to Lori Larusso.
Louisville-based artist Lori Larusso’s tireless studio practice produces vibrant images of familiar subjects, rendered with razor sharp clarity and wit. For 20 years without a pause, solo and group exhibitions of Lori’s work have graced local, national and international venues, including the inaugural KMAC Triennial in 2019. Her consistently experimental and evolving work has earned her numerous awards and residency fellowships.
A committed instructor of visual art, Lori has taught at colleges and universities since 2003, with recent stints at the Kentucky College of Art + Design, Spalding University and the University of Kentucky. She is also an active member of Louisville Visual Art’s network of local artists, regularly participating in events such as art[squared] and Open Studio Weekend.
Lori says, “The Fischer Award will allow for vital experimentation, as well as refinement of technical and conceptual aspects of my work. The timing is perfect for this award to supplement several residency fellowships I’ve been awarded for late 2020 through 2021, at which I’ll focus on my practice and discuss ideas, processes and materials with selected artists from all over the world. I’ll benefit from their critique, and connections to a broader professional network will expand my opportunities to produce and exhibit new work.”
Lori Larusso not only exemplifies the kind of practitioner Bill Fischer intended to support, her work as a teacher cultivates generations of artists studying in Louisville who may in turn win their own Fischer Awards.
The Community Foundation of Louisville and Louisville Visual Art congratulate Lori on her success and on her selection as this year’s Fischer Award Winner! We look forward to seeing the impact of the prize on her evolution as an artist.
The Community Foundation of Louisville, with partner Louisville Visual Art, is pleased to present the 2019 Bill Fischer Award for Visual Artists to William Duffy.
Duffy has been part of the fabric of Louisville’s art scene for nearly four decades, working both as a sculptor as well as a teacher, including serving as an instructor for Louisville Visual Art’s Children’s Fine Art Classes and in the Jefferson County Public Schools.
“One of the things that my folks told me growing up was, ‘Someone helped you. Don’t you forget. You reach back and you help someone else,’” Duffy said while accepting the award. “And so, I’ve been doing that now for about 40 years or so, of reaching back into schools and the community centers and what have you. There’s more of a reward doing that than it is sometimes doing my own work. But I’m getting older now and I want to get out some of the things that’s been stirring in me for a long time.”
He'll now have that chance. The Bill Fischer Award for Visual Artists comes with a $5,000 grant, which Duffy intends to use to realize a life-long dream.
“I work small because my studio is rather small, but I always had a dream of enlarging some of these works and seeing them out in public,” Duffy said. “It’s been my dream for a long time to have one, or two pieces even, in my city. The city that I grew up in.”
Congratulations to Elizabeth Hardy
the recipient of the 2018 Bill Fischer Award For Visual Arts
