School of Art and Design's Mark Menjivar named Interchange 2019 Fellow

Mark Menjivar, an assistant professor in the School of Art and Design at Texas State University, has been named one of 16 inaugural Interchange 2019 Fellows by the Mid-America Arts Alliance (M-AAA).

The Interchange program supports artist-led projects focused on social impact in M-AAA's six-state region of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas. 

Menjivar was recognized for Open Letters, a project that will engage Texas communities in dialogue around capital punishment issues by inviting individuals on Texas death row to write open letters to society about the trauma they and their families have experienced post-conviction. The public will be invited to events where the letters will be read and a facilitated structure for response will be provided. Transcripts from the events will later be compiled into a publication for distribution. 

"Getting this level of support will allow me to focus on working directly with the people and communities participating in the project," Menjivar said. "It allows me to fully enter in, knowing the project will be supported throughout each step. It makes a huge difference."

Each funded artist will receive a project grant of $20,000, as well as peer connection to other 2019 Interchange Fellows. This will take the form of professional development retreats and ongoing mentoring through the life of the funded projects. Interchange builds upon M-AAA's expertise in supporting and activating artist networks that has been developed through the Artist INC program. 

For more information about the Interchange program, visit InterchangeArtistGrant.art.