Matthew Apol

Through providing programming, events, and broader networking opportunities, I'd like to think that I helped make Marketview Arts a more engaging place for the York City, York County, and York College communities. I was able to help mentor a few select YCP fine art students who have continued to make meaningful work after graduation. I still talk to these young artists quite regularly as they prepare for graduate school and other future plans in contemporary art.

I used my time as the Appell Fellow to gain the experience I needed to apply for graduate school—experience in painting, but also in working with the curatorial staff. I also learned how to manage events and other people in a community arts organization. These experiences were what set me apart from other graduate school applicants. I was accepted into six MFA programs—two of these programs were and are still ranked in the top MFA programs (in painting) in America. I was informed by both of those institutions that what made me an attractive applicant was my experience in the areas listed above.

I think the fellowship gives the arts community a fresh person to talk to. Each fellow has their own ideas and works with community members and faculty in different ways. So each new Fellow brings new and different opportunities to Marketview Arts and the community. One of my goals was to facilitate a connection between York College of Pennsylvania (YCP) and the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design (PCAD) to promote a better relationship between YCP and PCAD alumni. Another was to set up a model for arts-based programming that could be continued after my fellowship concluded. Yet another was to promote Marketview Arts as an important exhibition space to contemporary artists in and outside of York County.

The Fellow before me and the Fellow that followed had different interests that serve our arts community in different ways. I think the Appell Fellowship is one of the programs that help keep the arts fresh and interesting in York City and York County.

This fellowship/residency has the strong potential to change the trajectory of your life if you treat the opportunity with ambition and respect.