Buckham Fine Arts Project: Writer In Residence program.
The Buckham Fine Arts Project is predominantly known as the visual arts exhibition space, Buckham Gallery, in Flint Michigan. It is BFAP’s mission to present a broad range of innovative contemporary art, both visual and non-visual, of the highest quality and standard for the enrichment of its surrounding communities. With the launching of the Writer In Residence program in early 2021, BFAP taps into Flint’s rich spring of contemporary literary arts. BFAP has also identified a lack of representation and is intentionally reaching out to Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) writers to be more accessible to a wider audience in our community.
BFAP’s new Writer in Residence program engages literary artists to respond to each of BFAP’s gallery exhibitions in their contemporary literary art form. Each residency culminates in a publication of writing produced during the project. The selected literary artist is awarded a honorarium for their work.
"This opportunity was designed to foster growth and engagement between visual and literary arts practices. The selection process was highly competitive and our jurors had much to consider and discuss as they worked their way through a host of technically accomplished and conceptually intriguing proposals. We are absolutely delighted to work with Bob Campbell for the 2022 - 2023 residency,” said Michele Leclaire, Executive Director.
BFAP’s new Writer in Residence program engages literary artists to respond to each of BFAP’s gallery exhibitions in their contemporary literary art form. Each residency culminates in a publication of writing produced during the project. The selected literary artist is awarded a honorarium for their work.
"This opportunity was designed to foster growth and engagement between visual and literary arts practices. The selection process was highly competitive and our jurors had much to consider and discuss as they worked their way through a host of technically accomplished and conceptually intriguing proposals. We are absolutely delighted to work with Bob Campbell for the 2022 - 2023 residency,” said Michele Leclaire, Executive Director.
Buckham Fine Arts Project is pleased to announce its third Writer in Residence, Bob Campbell
Photo courtesy of Jerry Taliaferro
“Serving as a Writer in Residence with Buckham Fine Arts Project is a great honor and will help nurture my growth as a creative writer by challenging my sense of observation and perception. It’s also a tremendous responsibility to the featured visual artists, whose work I will support with the written compositions produced over the next year, and to the Buckham Fine Arts Project for placing its confidence in me.” Campbell said.
Bob Campbell is a local writer who was born and raised in Flint. His debut novel, Motown Man, was published in November 2020 by Urban Farmhouse Press.
Bob's creative nonfiction, essays and novel excerpts have appeared in Michigan Quarterly Review, Belt Magazine, Forge Literary Magazine, Hypertext Magazine, All Write in Sin City (podcast) and Gravel Magazine. He is a contributor to Belt Publishing’s Midwest Architecture Journeys, published in October 2019. He is also a contributor to We Poke Along Writers Project (wepokealong.umich.edu), inspired by the Depression-era state guides written and published under the auspices of the Federal Writers' Project, a program initiated by the Roosevelt administration's Works Project Administration (WPA).
Bob was a staff writer for the Flint Journal, Lexington Herald-Leader and Detroit Free Press. He was an electrician at AC Spark Plug for seven years before moving into journalism. He is currently manager of marketing and communications for Mott Community College.
In The News:
Flint Beat: Flint Native Bob Campbell selected as Buckham Gallery's Writer in Residence LINK
Bob Campbell is a local writer who was born and raised in Flint. His debut novel, Motown Man, was published in November 2020 by Urban Farmhouse Press.
Bob's creative nonfiction, essays and novel excerpts have appeared in Michigan Quarterly Review, Belt Magazine, Forge Literary Magazine, Hypertext Magazine, All Write in Sin City (podcast) and Gravel Magazine. He is a contributor to Belt Publishing’s Midwest Architecture Journeys, published in October 2019. He is also a contributor to We Poke Along Writers Project (wepokealong.umich.edu), inspired by the Depression-era state guides written and published under the auspices of the Federal Writers' Project, a program initiated by the Roosevelt administration's Works Project Administration (WPA).
Bob was a staff writer for the Flint Journal, Lexington Herald-Leader and Detroit Free Press. He was an electrician at AC Spark Plug for seven years before moving into journalism. He is currently manager of marketing and communications for Mott Community College.
In The News:
Flint Beat: Flint Native Bob Campbell selected as Buckham Gallery's Writer in Residence LINK
Buckham is pleased to announce the second Writer in Residence, Natasha Thomas.
Photo courtesy of Lyn Williams
“We are delighted to have the opportunity to collaborate with Natasha and promote her literary arts. Buckham is always looking to support artists while providing opportunities to engage with challenging contemporary art and experience new ways of looking and thinking,” explained Buckham Executive Director Michele Leclaire.
Natasha Thomas is a writer, performance artist, political organizer, community strategist, and visual curator with 20 years of experience working in the fields of arts-activism, public administration, public health, holistic wellness, spirituality, and advocacy. She is the current founder/director of The Nadoma Center for Social Justice & Spiritual Transformation and the Genesee County Coordinator for the Michigan Organization on Adolescent Sexual Health. In both her personal and professional lives, she is guided by the values, principles, practices, and rituals of liberation movements and ancestral wisdom traditions.
Natasha Thomas is a writer, performance artist, political organizer, community strategist, and visual curator with 20 years of experience working in the fields of arts-activism, public administration, public health, holistic wellness, spirituality, and advocacy. She is the current founder/director of The Nadoma Center for Social Justice & Spiritual Transformation and the Genesee County Coordinator for the Michigan Organization on Adolescent Sexual Health. In both her personal and professional lives, she is guided by the values, principles, practices, and rituals of liberation movements and ancestral wisdom traditions.
Photo courtesy of Emily O. Photography, copyright 2021
BFAP’s first writer for the residency is Shea Phire Cobb, a.k.a. Phire Sis.
Shea Phire Cobb lives and works in Flint, Michigan, where she was also born and raised. She is an artist, mother, author, musician, and founder of The Sister Tour, a platform that promotes female artistry. She began her artistic career by performing poetry during children’s summer programs and organizing poetry showcases in her community. Her books of poetry include Travels in my Car: Dedicated to the Writers Freedom (2018), Honey Tea and Hibiscus: Reflective Heart Poetry (2018), and Ruby in The Rough: A Dedication to LaToya Ruby Frazier (2020), which she co-authored with Amber Hasan. She studied communications at the University of Michigan–Flint and Mott Community College. In 2014, she began an ongoing collaboration with LaToya Ruby Frazier focused on the Flint Water Crisis. With Frazier and The Sister Tour, Cobb has traveled across the country telling the story of her community and the Flint Water Crisis. She has led programs at, among others, Gavin Brown’s Enterprise in New York, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, where she also performed an original play, Surviving Womanhood.
In the news:
Flintside: Get to know Buckham Gallery's first Writer in Residence Link
Shea Phire Cobb lives and works in Flint, Michigan, where she was also born and raised. She is an artist, mother, author, musician, and founder of The Sister Tour, a platform that promotes female artistry. She began her artistic career by performing poetry during children’s summer programs and organizing poetry showcases in her community. Her books of poetry include Travels in my Car: Dedicated to the Writers Freedom (2018), Honey Tea and Hibiscus: Reflective Heart Poetry (2018), and Ruby in The Rough: A Dedication to LaToya Ruby Frazier (2020), which she co-authored with Amber Hasan. She studied communications at the University of Michigan–Flint and Mott Community College. In 2014, she began an ongoing collaboration with LaToya Ruby Frazier focused on the Flint Water Crisis. With Frazier and The Sister Tour, Cobb has traveled across the country telling the story of her community and the Flint Water Crisis. She has led programs at, among others, Gavin Brown’s Enterprise in New York, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, where she also performed an original play, Surviving Womanhood.
In the news:
Flintside: Get to know Buckham Gallery's first Writer in Residence Link
