Mason School of Art graduate student Jax Ohashi is one of six graduate students in the state of Virginia to receive a 2022-23 Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) Visual Arts Fellowships.
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia, is one of the largest comprehensive art museums in the United States. VMFA, which opened in 1936, is a state agency and privately endowed educational institution. Its purpose is to collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret art, and to encourage the study of the arts.
The VMFA Visual Arts Fellowship program has awarded more than $5.9 million to more than 1,400 artists since 1940. Recipients must be Virginia residents and may use the award as desired, including for education and studio investments. Each year, art curators and working artists serve as jurors to select the award recipients.
In addition, Jax was also awarded the Vicki N. Salmon Award for outstanding graduate student in the College of Visual and Performing Arts.
According to Lisa C. Kahn, the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, “The nature of Ohashi’s extracurricular work in addition to his superb scholastic accomplishments, combined with his professionalism reflected in the application as well as his superlative recommendation, made him a clear choice.