On Monday, March 20, 2017, DPI alum Hank Willis Thomas (BFA '98) was announced as one of seven recipients of the Soros Equality Fellowship out of over 1,000 applicants. The Open Society Foundations, which was established to help build tolerant democracies in which the government is accountable and open to all of its people, created the fellowship to provide aid to artists for the purpose of combating racial injustice through innovative ways.
Willis Thomas' past work is primarily grounded in exploring the themes of identity, history and popular culture through photography, sculpture, mixed media and public installations, and has been exhibited across the United States and the world. The fellowship will assist Willis Thomas in exploring and deconstructing misrepresentations of the racial narrative in the United States by using the tools of a contemporary advertising agency.