Counterpublic Fellowship Awarded to Roy Uptain, MFA ’25

Roy Uptain, MFA ’25, has been selected for a fellowship with Counterpublic, a triennial civic exhibition that “weaves contemporary art into the life of St. Louis.”

The fellowship was open to first-year MFA students in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at WashU and includes a $7,500 stipend. Uptain will begin working a few hours a week with Counterpublic this spring and continue through August 2024. The exhibition — the organization’s third — is expected to run in 2026.

Counterpublic defines itself as “one of the nation’s largest public art platforms, bringing 30+ new artist commissions to life in public parks, gardens, historic houses, and museums around the city. Free art installations, performances, screenings, conversations, and parties animate six miles of St Louis’ Jefferson Avenue with art and stories.” Its first iteration took place in 2019.

The 2023 exhibition — featured in The New York Times last May — included 37 commissions and a fellowship completed by Micah Mickles, MFA ’24.

The fellowship is coordinated through the Sam Fox School’s Office of Socially Engaged Practice, and supported by CityStudioSTL.

During the fellowship, Uptain will work closely with artists, curators, and exhibition staff on early-stage research for the 2026 exhibition.

Uptain is from Casper, Wyoming, and earned his undergraduate degree in English and art at Covenant College. He later served as a public affairs specialist in the Army National Guard, which shaped his interest in how mass-produced and widely circulated images can be used to shape public thought. As an artist, Uptain delves into the intersections of life and death through the lens of the absurd.