UofL grad student honored with Emerging Artist Award by LVA

Monica Stewart was given the 2019 Emerging Artist Award by Louisville Visual Art earlier this month. The UofL graduate student works primarily with paper art, but also dabbles in painting, drawing and woodwork. 

She was recently featured in Insider Louisville, discussing her artistic journey, which started when she discovered silhouette and paper-cutting techniques as a teenager. She stepped away from this art form when she went to college - earning a bachelor's degree from Murray State - but came back to it when painting became a challenge.

"... with little time and little space to paint, I started cutting paper again. I began with cards and small pieces to send to my college friends, and then they kept getting bigger, and I’ve kept on cutting paper and haven’t looked back since," she told the publication. 

Stewart's very first solo show was held in May, so she admits the LVA award came as a bit of a surprise. 

“I was completely floored,” Stewart told Insider Louisville. “I had no idea I’d even been nominated, so I was both excited and totally confused at the same time.”

Stewart is currently working on her MFA thesis exhibition, which is in April. Check out her interview in its entirety online here.