Reagan Furqueron
This Fellowship has allowed me to become more adventurous and spontaneous in my everyday life and in my studio.”
Reagan Furqueron’s original plan for renewal was to travel to Cuba to survey the estimated 60,000 classic automobiles isolated by the 1962 U.S. embargo. However, life intervened and prompted him to rethink his project. Furqueron’s fellowship ultimately led him on a 1,400-mile road trip across the Southwest and Western U.S. in search of inspiration. He explored contemporary art locations in Marfa, Texas, reveled in historic aircraft displays at an aircraft boneyard in Tucson, Arizona, enjoyed a performance at the Santa Fe Opera House, and hiked the Colorado terrain. His trip was not without “spontaneous detours” and scenic routes. The fellowship gave him much needed time and space to travel, likening the experience to the graduate school research of his past. “My Creative Renewal idea was to put myself in the position of being a student again, to find new inspiration in the objects, material, and research methods within the field of metalworking specific to automobile and aircraft design and fabrication.”
Furqueron expects that the body of work that will result from his renewal journey will broaden his appeal to new clients and bring in gallery opportunities. Recently, he was granted his first large-scale sculpture commission in Indianapolis, and he credits the fellowship for giving him the energy to take on such an endeavor. “The impact on my studio practice and life has been great—I truly feel renewed. A fresh outlook at life and the ability to create new work in the studio and work through old problems in a new way.”
