The School of Art, Art History & Design awarded the first Nebraska Innovation Studio Residency Award to Rosana Ybarra, a third-year Master of Fine Arts student, who will graduate in May.
“I’m honored to have been selected for the Nebraska Innovation Studio Residency Award,” Ybarra said. “Transitioning out of graduate school and into a chosen career is both a daunting and exciting task for anyone given that we are faced with so many choices, and hopefully, opportunities. Being given the option to having a community and a place to work at Innovation Campus is a wonderful asset to my journey forward as a practicing artist. I am truly grateful that my passion for making has been recognized and supported through this award.”
The Nebraska Innovation Studio Award is a $1,000 award, which covers a one-year alumni membership to the Nebraska Innovation Studio (NIS) and additional materials. In addition to being an artist-in-residence at Nebraska Innovation Studio, Ybarra will also conduct three workshops for NIS members.
The award was created by an anonymous donor who wanted to “pay it forward.”
“This is a wonderful opportunity for an artist starting out, thanks to the generosity of one of our members,” said David Martin, director of NIS. “We’re looking forward to seeing what our first-ever Nebraska Innovation Studio Residency winner creates.”
Faculty in the School of Art, Art History & Design selected three finalists for the award. A three-person jury selected the residency award winner. This year’s jurors were Robert Duncan, Charley Friedman and Nancy Friedman.
Ybarra is an interdisciplinary artist working in painting, sculpture and performance. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Portland State University with an emphasis in painting. She is a Trickey Memorial Fellowship recipient and was recently nominated in the category of “Best Emerging Artist” in the Omaha Arts & Entertainment Awards.
Her artwork and curatorial projects have been exhibited widely throughout the region. This November, she will have a solo exhibition at Petshop Gallery in Omaha, along with other group exhibitions.
Her MFA Thesis Exhibition, titled “Chimera,” is on display through April 13 at the Eisentrager-Howard Gallery in Richards Hall.
NIS is Nebraska’s largest makerspace and is located at Nebraska Innovation Campus. It serves as a hub for innovators, artists and entrepreneurs. Membership is open to anyone, including University of Nebraska–Lincoln staff, faculty, students and alumni. For more information, visit https://innovationstudio.unl.edu/.