Art career taking shape
The Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) has awarded Evan Morse ’09, a sculptor, a $12,000 grant to support his artwork.
MCC’s 2017 Artist Fellowship awards are anonymously judged, and based on the artistic quality and creative ability of the work submitted. Morse was one of 32 applicants who received funding from a total of 561 artists who submitted works.
“As an artist still in the early stages of my career, this recognition is hugely encouraging and a validation of my efforts to date,” said Morse, who earned his bachelor’s degree in studio art at Wheaton and his M.F.A. from Boston University.
“It is so gratifying to those of us who taught Evan to see his work as an artist be acknowledged and supported by this prestigious grant. I found his small-scale figurative sculptures depicting intimate domestic moments in such skillful detail so captivating and provocative on a number of levels. He is an alum to watch,” said Professor or Art Claudia Fieo.
Since graduating from Wheaton, Morse has dedicated his time to sculpting, documenting his work, pursuing exhibition opportunities and establishing a career in the arts. In addition, he has taught several art courses at Clark University in Worcester, Mass.
Venues featuring his three-dimensional artwork to date include Boston City Hall; Scollay Square Gallery (Boston); Heritage Museum and Gardens (Sandwich, Mass.); Art in the Park (Worcester, Mass.); and Danforth Art (Framingham, Mass.).
In fall 2016, Morse exhibited his sculptures in the Mars Arts and Humanities building at Wheaton.
The MCC grant money “will allow me to spend more time in the studio in the coming year, and I plan to branch out from my recent series of work, which combines everyday, modern imagery with a traditional sculptural approach,” he said.
Also, it will support Morse’s next pursuit: spending three months sculpting in Carrara, Italy.
With the grant funding, “I may enjoy some extra traveling for further inspiration,” he said.