Art Rise Savannah is proud to announce the recipient of its Fall 2016 Exhibition Fellowship: Leah Dalton.
 
Dalton was chosen from a pool of finalists to receive a solo exhibition of her work at Non-Fiction Gallery, Art Rise Savannah’s exhibition space in the Starland district. Dalton’s exhibition, The Collective Body: Triumph and Struggle, examines contemporary notions of feminine power via large-scale painted portraits of several local women leaders and will open at Non-Fiction Gallery on Friday, October 28 from 6 – 9pm.
 
As part of her fellowship, Dalton will host a workshop at the gallery on Saturday, October 29 from 2 – 4pm. Designed specifically for women, the workshop aims to provide space for women to explore their own triumphs and struggles through painting, as coached by Dalton. “The goal of the workshop is to come away with a sense of empowerment,” the artist says.
 
Dalton was selected for the fellowship based on her artistic achievements and the high quality of her work by a panel of jurors comprised of Art Rise Savannah’s leadership: Heather Macrae, Kayla Goggin, and Clinton Edminster.
 
“Art Rise Savannah developed the fellowship program to better support local artists that are actively seeking a way to contribute to their community while simultaneously exploring opportunities to exhibit their work,” Heather MacRae said.
 
“Leah Dalton, in particular, has exhibited an ability to think about making work as a communal and collectively healing activity,” MacRae continued. “Our decision to select her was due largely to her community-oriented workshop proposal.”
 
Art Rise Savannah’s Exhibition Fellowship gives priority to proposals which consider challenges or opportunities facing the local community. Dalton’s decision to incorporate local women leaders into her artwork represents a major opportunity to connect various siloed groups in Savannah via the arts.
 
The Collective Body: Triumph and Struggle includes portraits of three local women leaders: Sarahlyn Phillips, founder of AWWIN, Inc., Yolanda Roberson, pastor at Kingdom Life Christian Fellowship, and Brynn Grant, chief operating officer of SEDA and vice president of World Trade Center Savannah. “[The fellowship] has helped me connect with so many beautiful and powerful women in the community. It’s been very beneficial,” Dalton says.