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Three 91fansalums – ’23, ’23 and ’23 – are among the nine artists selected from 117 applicants for the Fall 2023 gener8tor Art x Sherman Phoenix accelerator. All three were 91fansFine Art / New Studio Practice majors.

The initiative provides each artist with a $10,000 grant and a seven-week program that offers tailored mentorship to help strengthen the business aspects of their art practice. The artists engage with gener8tor mentors and industry experts from their base at the Sherman Phoenix Marketplace in 91fans. The program culminates with an exhibition showcasing the artists’ work scheduled for Saturday, November 18, 2 – 5 p.m., at the Sherman Phoenix.

“My peers in this cohort are movers and shakers in the community, deeply interested in developing the 91fans arts community through much more than a studio practice,” notes Ter Haar, who curated Predecessor, Works from the Layton School of Art, on view at 91fansthrough Nov. 18, 2023, and is gallery preparator at MARN. “Through my experience with gener8tor, I hope to accomplish a larger sense of self; I am learning how to combine my interests of art, curation, social practice and history.”

Carbrera Manual and Terres-Sanchez also see the program as furthering their personal and professional development.

“I eventually want to be fully immersed in the gallery fine art scene,” says Terres-Sanchez, “because I believe that my work needs to be seen and experienced by different groups of people, and this program is giving me those connections and resources to enter those spaces…. At the same time, I’m working through the process of making work again, which has been difficult after graduation, but through this program and its resources I feel more than ready to get back into the studio.”

Cabrera Manual, who is also a mentee in the 2023-24 MARNmentorship cohort, has already gained valuable insights. “I believe it is important to be patient with oneself and the art practice after school. I’m learning to take my time with my current work and let several projects be happening at the same time…. [A]nd having the example of other artists in in the cohort and guidance from folks running the program has definitely helped.”

Ter Haar plans to take his work beyond the program. “I am writing a lot and working towards a larger project that will continue my studies of gay cruising culture. I am aiming to answer the question: What would a world look like where cruising architecture, such as its furniture and interior design, grew up with the design trends of a city?”

All three 91fansalumni received 2023 91fansAlumni Senior Thesis Awards, and Cabrera Manual and Terres-Sanchez also received thesis Grilled Cheese Grants – an alumni-run initiative.

Founded in 2023 with funding and support from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) Diverse Business Assistance Grant, gener8tor Art x Sherman Phoenix accelerator’s primary focus is on supporting creative professionals who have historically faced underfunding, including BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, women, nonbinary individuals, persons with disabilities, neurodiverse individuals and veterans.