Fifteen years ago Socrates Sculpture Park inaugurated the Emerging Artist Fellowship (EAF) Exhibition and launched what would become an annual exhibition of “artists to watch.” By providing an open studio along with financial, administrative, and technical support, the EAF program offers a rare opportunity for the realization of original, large-scale complex work. From May through September EAF artists work on-site, negotiating the physical and conceptual challenges of production in the park’s outdoor studio space, becoming energetic fuel for the park’s popular summer programming.

This year’s Emerging Artist Fellows were selected through a highly competitive process that attracted over 350 applications, a record number for the program, by the park’s 2015 Curatorial Advisors, Gary Carrion-Murayari (Curator, New Museum) and Nora Lawrence (Curator, Storm King Art Center).

As the culmination of a sought-after fellowship program, the EAF Exhibition is distinct in its commitment to emphasize individual artist projects. Rather than present an overarching theme, the exhibition highlights the singularity of each artist’s vision and subject matter, while providing critical consideration on diverse subjects, processes, and the specificities of site.