Bio
Zachary Yorke was born in Topeka, Kansas. He attended Amherst College in Massachusetts where he studied literature, Cultural Anthropology and Fine Arts. In 2003, he was awarded a Thomas J. Watson Research Fellowship that took him on a yearlong investigation of contemporary art in South Africa. During this period he published a wide variety of writings, including social commentary, exhibition reviews and long essays. He completed a Masters Degree in Fine Arts at the University of Pennsylvania focusing on Film and Time-Based Media and most recently, he was awarded the 2006-2007 Fulbright Scholarship to South Africa.
EDUCATION
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
MFA Degree and Time-based Media Certificate / expected May 2006
Amherst College, Amherst, MA
Bachelor of Arts, Fine Arts, Summa Cum Laude / May 2003
Course work included Economics, History, and Cultural Anthropology
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA / 2004–Present
Teaching Assistant. Worked together with teachers in two drawing classes and a Senior
Seminar. Supervised senior thesis projects and provided individual instruction to students.
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA / Summer 2005
Teacher. Constructed a curriculum and daily lesson plans for a drawing course.
Designed still life, landscape, self-portrait and live model projects to develop students’
perceptual skills. Provided critical feedback and led critiques.
AWARDS AND FELLOWSHIPS
J. William Fulbright Award, South Africa / 2006-2007
Selected to conduct research to increase mutual understanding through cultural exchange.
Angelo Savelli Award, Philadelphia, PA / 2006
Awarded to an MFA student for outstanding performance in any medium.
Samuel S. Fels Grant, Philadelphia, PA / 2005
Created a short documentary about a non-profit organization in West Philadelphia that
enlists children in a struggle to push out the drugs and violence that threaten to cripple their community.
Neil Welliver Award, Philadelphia, PA / 2005
Awarded to an MFA student for outstanding performance in any medium.
Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, South Africa and Australia / 2003–2004
Conducted a yearlong independent research project focusing on the intersection of
politics and contemporary art in South Africa. Published fourteen articles in five different
publications.
The Wise Fine Arts Award, Amherst, MA / May 2003
Awarded to an exceptional artwork created for the Senior Honors Thesis. The artwork is acquired by the Trustees of Amherst College.
Amherst College Fine Arts Fellowship, Topeka, KS / Summer 2002
Created a series of paintings that sought to address the historical irony of racial
segregation in Topeka, Kansas.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
Show Me Where the Devil Bit You, Tower Galleries, Philadelphia, PA / February 2006
2005 MFA Biennial Exhibition
Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, Wilmington, DE / April 2005
Emerging Artists, CVZContemporary Gallery, New York, NY / December 2004
PERMANENT COLLECTIONS
Mead Art Museum, Amherst College, Amherst, MA
Black Studies Department, Amherst College, Amherst, MA