Isaac Aden
Grant awarded Fall 2014
Memory is such that not every moment can remain memorable, some instances come and go; yet others remain. The Kossak Fellowship was the single most impactful experience I had while at Hunter College. The memories made on that journey will never leave me and I have no question that there are some that shall remain the best memories of my life.
As an undergraduate student at Hunter College, I received a Kossak Fellowship for the advancement of painting in the amount of $1,500. With that funding I produced the paintings for a solo exhibition. The exhibition was successful and I sold one painting to the Related Developers for $40,000. This money allowed me to pay for my master’s education, which I continued to pursue at Hunter College
As a masters candidate at Hunter College I receive the Kossak Travel Fellowship. The Fellowship provides funds for candidates to travel and pursue research the field of painting.
While many of my peers travel to exotic locations around the world, I chose to travel to one of the poorest places in the United States. My travels took me on boundless journey across the United States. With the $3,000 I was awarded, I was able to travel for six weeks, over 5,000 miles in air, and 6000 miles on the road. Put in perspective, I drove the distance from New York to San Francisco and back… twice.
In this brief statement I cannot express the wholly life changing and impactful quality of this experience. There were images and moments that are burned into the psyche of my person and that have forever shaped who I will be. I can say that I left part of me on the road and I found something deeper too. I bore witness to the drama that is the American experience, struggles and cruelty: strength, hope, and the American propensity to preserver.
The research and theoretical framework that I developed while traveling, as well as actual works that I made on this trip were presented as my master’s thesis. Based on my thesis exhibition I was signed to the prestigious New York gallery Ethan Cohen. Five months later I opened a solo exhibition in his Chelsea Gallery, which was an extension of work I began as a Kossak Fellow.
The ideas and strategies that I fostered through this fellowship continue to travel. Last year in the Adriatic Sea and in Montenegro paintings floated in the bay against the backdrop of medieval fortifications. This year in Alaska, regardless of 40 below temperatures pigment paintings were sewn in the snow and stretched across the barren and frozen landscape. At this very moment the more paintings prepare to travel to Basel, Switzerland
I am incredibly grateful for continuous and generous support of Hunter College The Kossak Committee and Chair. Additionally, I would like to commend Evelyn C. Kossak for her vision and generosity in establishing and endowing this fellowship.
