Birmingham, Amy Pleasant, Guggenheim Fellowship — Photo via Wikipedia.

The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation has announced its fellows for 2018, and guess what! One of the winners of this prestigious award is Amy Pleasant of Birmingham.

Out of almost 3,000 applications, the foundation awarded 173 fellowships to a diverse group of scholars, artists and scientists. Fellowships were awarded on the basis of prior achievement and exceptional promise.

Amy is among other southern Fellowship winners, including Craig Drennen and Janet Biggs.

Birmingham, Birmingham Museum of Art, Amy Pleasant, Guggenheim Fellowship — MERGE/shift, a Birmingham Museum of Art initiative by Amy Pleasant. Photo by Orlando Thompson.

The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation was established in 1925 by Senator Simon Guggenheim and his wife. The Foundation offers Fellowships to further the development o scholars and artists by assisting them to engage in research in any field of knowledge and creation in any of the arts, under the freest possible conditions and irrespective of race, color or creed.

Fellowships are:

Intended for individuals who have already demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts.
Awarded through two annual competitions: one open to citizens and permanent residents of the United States and Canada, and the other open to citizens and permanent residents of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Winners of the fellowship received cash grants of varying amounts. Though the exact amount is undisclosed, the average grant is around $45,000.

Click here to learn even more about Guggenheim Fellowships.

Amy lives and works in Birmingham. She earned a BFA in painting from the School of Art Institute of Chicago and an MFA in painting from the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, PA. Her work includes painting, drawing and ceramic sculpture.

Amy has held numerous solo exhibitions locations, such as:

Her work has also been shown at many group shows held at: