Investing in the Future of Creativity
Meet ASC’s 2025 Emerging Creators and Creative Renewal Fellows
The artistic process is not always about a finished product. More often, true artistic excellence is achieved when process is emphasized over product, and experiences are prioritized over end results.
The Arts & Science Council’s 2025 cohort of “Emerging Creators” and “Creative Renewal” fellows know this better than anyone.
As Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s creative arts agency, ASC believes that investing directly in creative individuals strengthens our region’s cultural ecosystem. Further, we know that sustaining a vibrant cultural community means investing directly in its artists.
To this end, ASC developed the Emerging Creators and Creative Renewal Fellowships, which focus on giving local artists and creatives an opportunity to explore new methodologies, to experience a resurgence of holistic creativity, and to broaden pathways towards artistic expression.
ASC is proud to announce the 2025 cohort of Emerging Creator and Creative Renewal recipients.
EMERGING CREATOR FELLOWS (2025)
- Emily Avery Sage intends to research experimental sound art methods and learn from established sound art communities by attending Struer Tracks’ “Sound Art Biennial” and by visiting sound art installations in Croatia and Denmark.
- Dee Blackburn will visit Oaxaca, Mexico for a nine-day intensive, learning about traditional art and collage making.
- Umayal Annamalai is set to participate in printmaking classes in Brasstown, NC, where she will learn new printmaking techniques and expand her creative practice.
- Junior Gomez plans to expand his woodworking, mastering techniques in a professional facility to create innovative works that blend craftsmanship with natural elements.
- Carolina Ocampo Quintana hopes to explore new mediums to add depth and narrative to an upcoming short film.
creative renewal fellows (2025)
- Osiris Rain will spend a month learning 3D design in an effort to expand his artistic practice into installation art, allowing for access to more dynamic public art commissions.
- J Stacy Utley plans to explore the intersection of public art, gentrification, and personal transformation through a comprehensive retrospective and forward-looking practice.
- Tamara Williams is planning a sabbatical to study traditional Yoruba drumming.
- Raymond Grubb will design a photography book of his work while at a residency in France.
- Alejandro Ziegler seeks to bridge Argentine tango and American roots music through a yearlong journey into improvisation, folkloric traditions, and new instrumental horizons.”
Over the next 365 days, these artists and creatives will take a bold and brave step towards artistic self-actualization, and ASC is proud to support them on their journeys.
Congratulations to our 2025 class of Emerging Creators and Creative Renewal Fellows!
Applications for the next cohort of Emerging Creators and Creative Renewals fellows are expected to open in early 2026. For more information about grants available from ASC, visit artsandscience.org
About ASC’s Emerging Creators and Creative Renewal Fellowships
The Emerging Creators Fellowship, first launched in 2017, supports early-career artists in Mecklenburg County by providing vital resources that enable exploration, experimentation, and growth toward sustainable creative practice.
Designed to help artists take the next step in their careers with confidence and clarity, the program is open to vocational creatives across all disciplines who are producing new, original work.
The Creative Renewal Fellowship, which launched in 2020, supports established artists in Mecklenburg County who have at least ten years of professional experience in their discipline.
Structured as a sabbatical-like opportunity, the fellowship allows creatives to rest, reflect, and reimagine their practice without the pressure of producing a final product.
ABOUT ASC
The Arts & Science Council (ASC) is Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s cultural leader, serving as a resource hub, funder, and advocate for arts, science, and history.
A supporting organization of Foundation For The Carolinas, ASC champions local creatives by investing in the arts, sciences, and culture to drive economic growth, community retention, and cultural engagement.
Our mission is to build inclusive, sustainable, and culturally rich communities where creativity drives belonging, growth, and opportunity. From artist support grants and public art stewardship to free Culture Blocks events and partnerships with local schools and universities, ASC invests in a thriving, accessible creative ecosystem for all.
