“12X12: 12 Artists from the 12th State presents North Carolina artists who were selected by jury to participate in the12 X12 pop-up artist salon series at SECCA during 2016-2017. The artists in the series represent a diversity of artistic practices and cultural backgrounds. The artists are Elizabeth Alexander, Endia Beal, Martha Clippinger, Bill Fick, Mijoo Kim, Beverly McIver, Katy Mixon, Kirsten Stolle, Bob Trotman, Hong-An Truong, Lee Walton, and Pinar Yoldas.

Through the 12X12 series, SECCA strives to recognize the achievements of contemporary artists, as we have done in the past with the Southeast Seven and the Awards in the Visual Arts (AVA). The Southeast Seven were Southeastern Artists Fellowships sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and SECCA from 1976 to 1989. The Artists in the Visual Arts Awards (AVA), conceived by SECCA and supported by the NEA and Rockefeller Foundation, began in 1982 and continued through 1992. This award was a national fellowship for American visual artists.

The 12X12 artists were selected by Cora Fisher (Curator of Contemporary Art, SECCA) and four guest jurors: Linda Dougherty (Chief Curator & Curator of Contemporary Art, North Carolina Museum of Art); Lia Newman (Director and Curator of the Van Every/Smith Galleries at Davidson College); Marshall Price (Nancy Hanks Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University); and Mary Anne Redding (Curator, Turchin Center for the Visual Arts). “

-SECCA