Luminarts Cultural Foundation announces 2022 Architecture and Fashion Fellows
Luminarts offers financial awards and continued artistic opportunities to exemplary Chicago-based young artists. More than $2 million in direct funds have been distributed in the last decade.
May 23, 2022 - CHICAGO - Luminarts Cultural Foundation (Luminarts) is honored to announce its 2022 Architecture and Fashion Fellows. This year's Architecture Fellow is Emma Okesson. The 2022 Fashion Fellow is Matthew Cook.
A Luminarts Fellowship provides lasting advocacy and guidance by bridging the gap between education and career for young artists. Fellows may apply for additional project grants for up to 10 years and have continuous access to Chicago's vibrant arts community with Luminarts as a lifelong resource.
"Both the Luminarts Fashion Fellowship and Architecture Fellowship demonstrate how prevalent art is in our day to day lives. The ability to express one's self through design and such intentional detail is absolutely stunning. The city of Chicago is a constant reminder of how lucky we are to be surrounded by such beauty in its unmatched architecture and expressive fashion." - Jason Kalajainen, Luminarts Cultural Foundation Executive Director
Chicago-based architectural designer Emma Okesson graduated cum laude from Judson University and is currently a team member at McNicholas Architects in Chicago. Okesson has a passion for the intersection of Classical architecture and technology. She believes classical architecture produced by even the most driven of students in postmodern schools is often misled and hopes to bridge this gap. Visit Okesson's Luminarts profile here.
"Providing classical resources to students in postmodern programs would provide immeasurable benefits to the world of classical architecture. The properly informed convergence of technology and beautiful design has the potential to transform the landscape of the 21st century." - Emma Okesson, 2022 Luminarts Fellow in Architecture
Matthew Cook received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Design from Parsons School of Design in New York. He is currently studying under the mentorship of Nick Cave and Liat Smestad at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His work "explores the aesthetics of his environment through showing the political 'eleganza' of Saint Louis, Missouri." Conceptualizing the assumptions of race, gender, sexuality, and body image are the core of his body of work. Visit Cook's Luminarts profile here.
About Luminarts Cultural Foundation
Luminarts Cultural Foundation (Luminarts) cultivates Chicago’s vibrant arts community by supporting exemplary young artists through its competitive programs that offer financial awards, artistic opportunities, and mentoring that bridge the gap between education and career.
Luminarts welcomes talented young artists of all social, economic and cultural backgrounds. As a young visual artist, musician, vocalist, or writer from the Chicago area, we invite and encourage you to compete for grants, creative opportunities, and to become Luminarts Fellows.
Luminarts Cultural Foundation is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. Visit Luminarts.org for more information or to contribute.
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