Licia Priest Receives the 2025 Bill Fischer Award for Visual Artists

Posted June 27, 2025 under:

Picture of Program Officer, Dionne Griffiths and 2025 Bill Fischer Award recipient, Licia Priest, holding a giant $10,000 check in front of Licia's artwork.

 Photography Credit: Abdul Sharif Photography

Pictured left to right: Dionne Griffiths, Program Officer of Health Equity at the Community Foundation of Louisville, and Licia Priest, 2025 Bill Fischer Award for Visual Artists finalist.

June 27, 2025 — The Community Foundation of Louisville, in partnership with Louisville Visual Art (LVA), is proud to announce Licia Priest as the recipient of the 2025 Bill Fischer Award for Visual Artists. This $10,000 fellowship recognizes outstanding visual artists in the Louisville Metro area who demonstrate innovation, risk-taking, and dedication to advancing their creative practice.

This year, the award was presented during LVA’s art[squared] Auction Party on Thursday, June 26, from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. at Louisville Visual Art, 1538 Lytle Street. The festive evening featured over 140 original artworks, live music by DJ Chip Calloway, food, drinks, and a vibrant celebration of Louisville’s creative community.

Licia Priest is a bold interdisciplinary artist whose work blends painting, photography, digital media, sculpture, and even scent and sound. Rooted in personal reflection and cultural reclamation, her vibrant, layered pieces draw on childhood memories, travels to Zimbabwe, and a deep connection to textiles. Influenced by artists like Mickalene Thomas and Kerry James Marshall, Priest explores themes of identity, heritage, and belonging—describing herself as a “cultural orphan” seeking reconnection through visual storytelling.

Two people looking at Licia Priest's multi-layer work, Rear View Window, made up of vibrant shades of blue and yellow layered and cut paper.

 Photography Credit: Abdul Sharif Photography

Pictured above: “Rear View Window” by Licia Priest, 2025 Bill Fischer Award for Visual Artists finalist

Using a meticulous layering process that can involve up to 50 hand-cut paper pieces, she creates sculptural portraits of Black figures surrounded by lush, dimensional flora and fauna. These textured works reference traditional African aesthetics and ecosystems, celebrating the richness of Black identity. Priest’s tactile approach—shaped by early experiences sewing and assembling paper art kits—merges handcrafted techniques with digital tools, resulting in a powerful visual language that reclaims and elevates Black imagery.

“Many individuals affected by the African diaspora experience a profound void in their cultural lineage,” Priest shared. “My work is a journey through that void—a way of documenting, honoring, and reconstructing identity through art.”

With the support of the Bill Fischer Award, Licia plans to acquire a laser cutter, which will vastly improve the efficiency and precision of her paper sculpting technique. This tool will allow her to scale up her work and pursue more ambitious projects without compromising the handmade quality at the core of her practice.

“This award will give me the freedom to deepen my work and amplify my voice,” said Priest. “It’s more than a grant—it’s a declaration that my story, my process, and my perspective matter.”

 Photography Credit: Abdul Sharif Photography

Pictured left to right: Keith Waits, Operations Director at Louisville Visual Art, and 2025 Bill Fischer Award for Visual Artists semi-finalists Claire Krüeger, Ceirra Evans, Nathaniel Hendrickson, José Nápoles Puerto, and Aaron Raymer.

Louisville Visual Art and the Community Foundation of Louisville additionally recognized the following semi-finalists for the Fischer Award, and displayed all finalists’ artwork at this year’s award reception: Aaron Raymer, Ceirra Evans, Claire Krüeger, José Nápoles Puerto, and Nathaniel Hendrickson.

The Bill Fischer Award for Visual Artists is funded by the Artist Bill Fischer Foundation for Working Artists at the Community Foundation of Louisville. The fund was created to make a meaningful impact on the careers of visual artists living in the region by supporting the creation, exhibition, and development of their work. Recipients of the Fischer Award must show a commitment to experimentation and the creative use of materials and techniques.

You can view more of Licia Priest’s work at the KMAC Museum between now and August 17, 2025. Learn more about the Bill Fischer Award for Visual Artists and past recipients at www.louisvillevisualart.org/fischer-award.