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In the Press
Former Lux Resident Artist Elizabeth Turk Named 2010 MacArthur Fellow
ENCINITAS, Calif. — (September 30, 2010) — The Chicago-based John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation recently named former Lux Art Institute resident artist, sculptor Elizabeth Turk, as one of its 23 new MacArthur Fellows for 2010. The prestigious fellowship, often referred to as the “Genius grant,” will give the artist $500,000 in “no strings attached” support over the next five years and is the result of a long and confidential selection process in which honorees have no knowledge that they are being considered.
Turk, who embraces and revives a classical medium by painstakingly transforming solid blocks of marble into seemingly weightless and improbable shapes, was the first artist of Lux’s 2009/2010 Season and the tenth of the 15 artists the museum has shown. In Fall 2009, Turk lived in the Lux Artist Residence while carving a sculpture for her “Collar” series in the Lux Studio. The LEED certified art venue also housed and presented to the public an exhibition of Turk’s stunning marble and paper pieces in its award-winning Artist Pavilion.
Elizabeth Turk’s marble creations, which have appeared in numerous solo and group exhibits, are featured in the public collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery at Scripps College in Claremont, Calif., and the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the National Museum for Women in the Arts, both in Washington, D.C.
As reported on the MacArthur Foundation website, the 30-year-old awards “come without stipulations and reporting requirements and offer Fellows unprecedented freedom and opportunity to reflect, create, and explore. The unusual level of independence afforded to Fellows underscores the spirit of freedom intrinsic to creative endeavors. The work of MacArthur Fellows knows neither boundaries nor the constraints of age, place, and endeavor.”
Lux Art Institute, located in Encinitas, Calif., is redefining the museum experience with the region’s only artist-in-residence program that invites artists to live and work on site, while producing a commissioned work of art – start to finish. This one-of-a-kind institution welcomes visitors to not only “see art,” but also to “see art happen.”
Throughout each year, Lux hosts several significant regional, national and international artists who participate in its residency program. Visitors from across the country are able to participate in exclusive liaison-led tours, providing intimate access to the artist-in-residence, the artist’s exhibition and the museum’s permanent collection of indoor and outdoor art. Lux also offers a wide range of innovative programming for all ages.
The recipient of the San Diego Architectural Foundation’s top design award, the Grand Orchid, and the first art museum in California awarded LEED certification for new construction, Lux is located alongside one of Southern California’s few remaining coastal wetlands. The five-acre site also overlooks the San Elijo Lagoon and is surrounded by a wildlife preserve that stretches to the Pacific Ocean.
Through its Phase II Capital Campaign, Lux plans to add more than 25,000 square feet of galleries and classrooms. Once completed, the new building will also feature a hilltop plaza and a series of gardens climbing between the galleries and the Artist Pavilion.
Lux Art Institute is located at 1550 South El Camino Real in Encinitas, Calif. Hours are Thursday and Friday, 1 to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and cost is $10 for two visits. For more information about donations, memberships, volunteer opportunities and more, visit http://www.luxartinstitute.org or call 760-436-6611.