Tri-Star Arts is delighted to share the 2026 Current Art Fund grantee cohort, as selected by this year’s jurors Rebecca Kinslow, Ashley Layendecker, Lester Merriweather, and Chris Molinski.
$7,500 grants have been awarded to:
- Nyssa Collins – East Tennessee / Knoxville
- Chalet Comellas – Middle Tennessee / Nashville
- Maggie Jensen – West Tennessee / Memphis
- Mary Laube – East Tennessee / Knoxville
- Cesar Pita – Middle Tennessee / Nashville
- Vadis Turner – Middle Tennessee / Nashville
- Laura Cleary Williams – East Tennessee / Chattanooga
- Khara Woods – West Tennessee / Memphis
ABOUT THE CURRENT ART FUND
The Current Art Fund granting program is organized and administered by Tri-Star Arts as a partner in the Regional Regranting Program of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. The Current Art Fund seeks to support visual artists and artist collectives in creating independent, non-traditional, public-facing projects that contribute to the rich dialogue within contemporary visual art scenes across the state of Tennessee. The fund annually disburses grants totaling $60,000 to Tennessee-based artists 21 years of age and older in support of project expenses. Grantees are selected by a 4 person jury panel composed of internationally recognized artists, collectors, curators, administrators, gallerists, educators, and arts professionals. The Current Art Fund program tangibly illustrates the Tri-Star Arts mission of cultivating and spotlighting contemporary visual art in Tennessee, championing innovation within our local art communities, and supporting artists across the state. BIPOC and AAPI applicants are strongly encouraged to apply.
ABOUT TRI-STAR ARTS
Established in 2014, Tri-Star Arts serves Tennessee by cultivating and spotlighting the contemporary visual art scenes in each region while fostering a unified state-wide art scene. Their programs promote art dialogue between the different cities in the state, and between the state and the nation. Tri-Star Arts initiatives include a gallery and artist studios at the historic Candoro Marble Building, annual Current Art Fund project grants, statewide collaborative projects, and LocateArts.org web resource.
ABOUT THE REGIONAL REGRANTING PROGRAM
The Regional Regranting Program partners with local arts organizations around the country to make grants to artists and collectives for projects that chart new creative territory in their communities; participation is by invitation only. Each partner in the network creates its own program tailored to the specific needs and artistic identity of its region. Established in 2007, the network is currently active in 39 cities and regions, supporting artists whose work falls outside the scope of traditional presenting organizations and/or funding opportunities. Projects supported by these grants have included queer zines, living room galleries, radical seafaring events, and virtual reality film screenings among other public-facing experimental activities.
ABOUT THE ANDY WARHOL FOUNDATION FOR THE VISUAL ARTS
In accordance with Andy Warhol’s will, the mission of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts is the advancement of the visual arts. The Foundation manages an innovative and flexible grants program while also preserving Warhol’s legacy through creative and responsible licensing policies and extensive scholarly research for ongoing catalogue raisonné projects. To date, the Foundation has given over $300 million in cash grants to more than 1,000 arts organizations in 49 states and abroad and has donated 52,786 works of art to 322 institutions worldwide.
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