All In The Campaign for Blair Academy 2018-2025
Kyle Edwards
Anh Nguyen
Clare Grant
‘Emerging Artists Trio’ Features Up-and-Coming Creators
Ashley Taube

Blair’s vibrant arts program encourages students to engage at every level, fostering their growth as true artists. Much like the visiting lecturers in our Society of Skeptics and returning graduates in our Alumni Roundtable Series, the Romano Gallery provides students with a unique opportunity to connect with experts in their fields, offering a glimpse into potential futures as professional artists. Each spring, the “Emerging Artists Trio” exhibition inspires Blair’s aspiring artists by featuring up-and-coming creators who share their experiences navigating the art world.

This year, the Romano Gallery is pleased to welcome three exceptional emerging artists to showcase their work in the “Emerging Artists Trio” exhibition from February 8 to March 7. Kyle Edwards, an artist and creative specializing in graphic design, large and small-scale murals, inspired apparel, event coordination, entertainment and creative consultation, will present pieces from his diverse portfolio. Clare Grant ’19 will display work from her recent years as a photojournalist, and Vietnamese photographer Anh Nguyen ’18 will explore cultural shifts and adaptation outside original contexts, examining rituals around food.

Lehigh Valley artist and creative Kyle Edwards is the founder and CEO of the art, apparel and entertainment company a true l.o.v.e. story, LLC, as well as Inkwell creative space in Allentown. In just five years, he has collaborated with renowned organizations such as the Philadelphia Eagles, Amazon and Intuit QuickBooks, creating and installing more than 20 murals internationally. Driven by his mission “to motivate individuals to live out their very best lives,” Kyle actively engages in community outreach to share his passion for art.

Ahead of the exhibition, Kyle offered words of encouragement to Blair’s emerging artists: “You have a moral obligation to do what you were created to do, which is—create. Realize you have everything you need within. Do whatever you must to get it out.”

Clare Grant ’19 returns to Blair to present work from her career as a photojournalist. She will share both individual photos and compelling photo stories from her time at Elon University, where she studied cinema, television arts and photojournalism. Clare’s internships have taken her across the country, including Washington state, Indianapolis, Columbus and Louisville, where she has covered major events such as the Kentucky Derby, Indianapolis 500 and PGA Championship. Her work has been published by The Washington Post, Sports Illustrated and The Wall Street Journal, among others, earning her recognition from the Society of Professional Journalists, The Associated Collegiate Press and the National Press Photographers Association.

“Being able to meet so many people and being trusted to be brought into their lives to document what’s going on is something I am very grateful for,” Clare shares. “That is the real reward.”

Anh Nguyen ’18 also returns to Blair, where she first discovered her passion for photography. After continuing her education in photojournalism at Boston University, Anh has been making an impact in New York as a documentary photographer. Most recently, she was accepted into the Documentary Practice and Visual Journalism program at the International Center of Photography (ICP). Over the past year, she has studied under expert guidance at ICP while developing her documentary project, which explores the experiences of Vietnamese people in New York through the lens of food, culture and identity.

“My practice is heavily informed by personal storytelling and the search for joy,” Anh explains. “Somewhere between documentary and fiction, my work is inspired by the playfulness, and sometimes absurdity, of mythology, rituals and traditions, and how they are interpreted in a modern context.”

All are welcome to attend the trio’s artist talk on Thursday, February 13, at 7 p.m. in Armstrong-Hipkins Center for the Arts.
 

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