By Abby Wedemeyer
Ali Hval, assistant professor of instruction in the School of Art, Art History, and Design, was awarded the Iowa Artist Fellowship a grant totaling $10,000 administered by the Iowa Arts Council.
Hval was selected out of 46 candidates. The Iowa Artist Fellowship provides “support to individual artists who demonstrate exceptional creativity in the arts and a commitment to contributing to the vitality of the arts in Iowa,” according to its website.
Hval hopes to use the funds from the Iowa Artist Fellowship grant to expand her studio work and create an exhibition where her sculptures can be brought to life by performers.
In her application for the Iowa Artist Fellowship, Hval noted that as a member of the Stanley Museum of Art’s Engagement Committee, she plans to “propose a lecture or collaborative event shedding light on my work and time spent as an Iowa Artist Fellow.”
The importance of public art is something Hval has endorsed and contributed to throughout her entire career.
Hval has completed over 40 public murals across the United States, many of which are showcased throughout Iowa City. Hval is the creator of the neon mural and light installation displayed outside Studio13, a prominent LGBTQ+ dance club in Iowa City, and the “scribble tree” light installation that lit up trees lining the Pedestrian Mall.
Hval described being selected for the fellowship as “incredibly empowering.”
"When major organizations recognize that your work is worth discussing and disseminating, it validates the effort and creativity you pour into your projects and reinforces the sense that what you're creating contributes to a greater dialogue,” Hval said.
Having grown up in Alabama, Hval’s studio work focuses on challenging the stereotype of a “proper woman” she was exposed to while living in the South. Hval noted on her website that she uses “performed femininity as a tool to reveal not only gender disparities, but also to illuminate the relentless critique and politicization of the female body.”
Hval seeks to embrace feminine aesthetics and iconography, while still “acknowledging all the awkwardness, humor, and theatricality they entail.” This has been the driving inspiration behind her recent studio work, where she has been creating large sculptures of home appliances and cleaning tools, like showerheads and squeegees, embellished with gemstones and hot pink fabric.
Hval describes both the School of Art, Art History, and Design and the Iowa City community as “a great place for experimental artists,” adding that the city grants many opportunities for artists of all backgrounds to showcase their freedom of expression—something she has taken advantage of, and plans to continue, with the help of the Iowa Artist Fellowship grant.
