By Jill Yesko, University Relations
Contact: (336) 334-5371
Posted 9-16-08
Billy Lee
GREENSBORO, NC – Billy Lee, an internationally-recognized sculptor, and Nikki Blair, a clay artist, both faculty members in the Department of Art, have each been awarded $10,000 fellowships from the North Carolina Arts Council.
Lee and Blair are among 20 artists from North Carolina to receive the fellowships, which are awarded on a two-year rotating cycle by discipline. Fellowships are given in the categories of choreography, craft, film and video and visual arts.
Born in South Africa, Lee moved to England where he received a master of fine arts degree from the Royal College of Arts in London. He was a fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he was a Kennedy Scholar.
A professor of art, Lee has exhibited his abstract sculptures around the globe. Most recently, his work “Vessels” was chosen to be displayed in the Olympic Fine Arts 2008, a cultural event organized by the International Olympic Committee and Chinese Olympic Committee during the Beijing Olympics.
Among Lee’s numerous awards are the Giacomo Manzu Special Prize at the 7th Henry Moore Sculpture Exhibition and the Rodin Prize for his work exhibited in the Hakone/Utsukushi-ga-hara Open Air Museum.
Blair is an associate professor of art. She received her master of fine arts degree from Southern Illinois State University. Her work includes non-traditional ceramic sculpture, mixed media, found objects and installation. Blair has exhibited in museums and galleries across the country. She has been an artist-in-residence in Newcastle, Maine, and at the Galeria Estudio in Barcelona, Spain.
