Tony Hughes

Name of School
California College of the Arts

Expected Graduation Date:
05/08/2022

Faculty Nominator
Nathan Lynch

Reason for Faculty Nomination
Tony is an extremely talented and hardworking artist. He is on the cusp on a major conceptual breakthrough in the development of his work around sustainability and climate change. I am confident Tony will make good use of the award and capitalize on this opportunity.

Please provide a brief description of your art or medium.
My art is a reflection of my curiosity, acquiring knowledge through making and my passion for the world we live in. I create sculptural works made from wood, glass, plaster and metal that have a net positive impact on the environment.

Is your artwork handmade by you? If not, please explain
Yes, I take great pride in hand making all of my work. I aquire all of my materials from second hand sources and manipulate the material qualities into sculptural compositions. I use techniques such as glass casting, lost wax casting, glass blowing, metal fabrication, and woodworking.

Are all or some of the components locally sourced?
The materials I use are collected from local reuse stores, recycle centers, waste products of small businesses such as glass shops, scrap yards and lumber yards.

Artist’s Statement:
““The good worker understands that a badly made artifact is both an insult to its user and a danger to its source.” – Wendell Berry

I believe that great art comes from quality craftsmanship. Great art is made with purpose, intent and passion. Art that is made with naivety within these standards does a dishonor to the material gifts that Mother Nature provides. Humanity produces a dangerous amount of waste that has been shown to disrupt the integrity of the Natural World. It is time that artists, like myself, pay attention to their impact in contributing towards populating our planet.

I use second hand and repurposed materials like metal, wood, plaster, wax and clay to create sculptural installations that depict the fragility of the natural world. I make work in hopes to provide proof that art and craftsmanship can serve as a tool to help fight for our planet.”

How you will use the Fellowship funds if you are chosen as the winner.
“I aim to use the fellowship funds to build a studio space that will enhance not only my artistic practice but the practice of my fellow artists within my local creative community. This studio will be a community resource center for reuse and saving materials from going to waste. This studio will also be a creative work space with areas dedicated towards mediums specific spaces for designing, woodworking, metal fabrication, glassblowing, glass casting and coldworking – all with a critical eye towards material reuse and energy efficiency. The funds will go directly towards the building materials and labor costs for the studio.

My intent is to contribute to the creative development of the artistic minds who share my passion for the preservation of the natural world and who have a common interest in growing a culture of sustainable artistic practice.”