Akron Soul Train has awarded its first fellowship to local painter, sculptor and author John Sokol.
The fellowship will be for the month of September 2016, allowing Sokol the opportunity to create a new body of work in a studio provided by Akron Soul Train at Spectrum Gallery (526 S. Main St.); as well as presentation of this body to the public during specific open studio times. Akron Soul Train is planning for Sokol to lecture, teach workshops and demonstrate his artistic process to the public during this time. Specific dates and details of these events will be released to the public when decided upon.
Sokol has been a prolific artist and professor for over 50 years. His paintings appear in many private collections including the Akron Art Museum, Canton Art Museum and Kent State University and he has had exhibitions across the United States. Sokolʼs poems have been in several publications and he also has four published books of poetry and short stories.
Akron Soul Train is made possible from winning the 2015 Knight Arts Challenge. This fresh nonprofit arts organization is an artist community in Akron that envisions a self-sustaining oasis made from refurbished train cars and tiny houses that will be a destination for local multidisciplinary artists and the public alike.
Akron Soul Train will provide artist studios, gallery space, and communal spaces for qualified artists, due to be fully completed by 2021. The project anticipate groundbreaking next spring and opening its first residential space in summer 2017.
For info, visit akronsoultrain.org/index.html or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AkronSoulTrain/.
For more info about John Sokol, visit www.johnsokol-artistauthor.com/.
