LAWRENCEVILLE – South Arts announces 2025 Georgia Fellow for Visual Arts artist from Georgia along with other recipients.
Release:
South Arts is thrilled to announce that Tabitha Arnold of Tennessee has been named the 2025 Southern Prize for Visual Arts winner, receiving a $25,000 award. The announcement was made during a ceremony at KMAC Contemporary Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky. Florida artist Gonzalo Fuenmayor, the Southern Prize Finalist, was also honored during the ceremony with a $10,000 award.
“We’re thrilled to honor these two remarkable artists as recipients of the Southern Prize for Visual Arts awards,” said Susie Surkamer, South Arts President and CEO. “Since the program’s launch, Southern Prize awards aim to acknowledge, support, and celebrate the highest quality artistic work being created in the American South. That continues to ring true as we celebrate both of these artists, whose distinct visual practices draw on the past to confront contemporary realities, weaving together history, culture, and identity while challenging common narratives among the South.”
Established in 2017, the Southern Prize and State Fellowships program was created to bring more visibility to the artistic talent and breadth among the Southeastern region. The program was expanded in 2024 to support Literary Arts, the program annually awards a total of $160,000 to nine visual artists and nine literary artists from each state in South Arts’ region: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Alongside the State Fellowship award, each selected artist has a chance to compete for the Southern Prize awards.
The 2025 State Fellows for Visual Arts are:
2025 Alabama Fellow for Visual Arts
Loretta Pettway Bennett
Huntsville, AL
2025 Kentucky Fellow for Visual Arts
Travis Townsend
Lexington, KY
2025 North Carolina Fellow for Visual Arts
Lydia C. Thompson
Charlotte, NC
2025 Florida Fellow & Southern Prize Finalist for Visual Arts
Gonzalo Fuenmayor
Miami Shores, FL
2025 Louisiana Fellow for Visual Arts
Edgar Cano
Natchitoches, LA
2025 South Carolina Fellow for Visual Arts
Felicia Greenlee
Seneca, SC
2025 Georgia Fellow for Visual Arts
Masela Nkolo
Lawrenceville, GA
2025 Mississippi Fellow for Visual Arts
Stephen Phillips
Crawford, MS
2025 Tennessee Fellow & Southern Prize Winner for Visual Arts
Tabitha Arnold
Chattanooga, TN
From the cohort of State Fellows for Visual Arts announced in Spring 2025, the Southern Prize Winner and Finalist were chosen by a national jury for their artistic excellence, showcasing the diversity of creative expression in the region. In addition to cash awards, both honorees will participate in public events and present their work in a touring exhibition alongside other State Fellows for Visual Arts. The exhibition debuted this evening at the KMAC Contemporary Art Museum, and will continue traveling to venues across the region throughout the season.
The Southern Prize and State Fellowships for Visual Arts program is supported by the Windgate Foundation, the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation, Southern First Bank, the Warner Fund, and individual donors. For more information about the Southern Prize and State Fellowship programs, application eligibility, and additional opportunities from South Arts, please visit southarts.org.
