When artist and gamer Jonathan Fuentes is at work, Doritos, Sour Patch Kids and Chiky cookies are often close by.
“I’m very much snack-powered,” Fuentes says.
The University of the District of Columbia art alum (Class of 2023) just secured a 2025-’26 Touchstone Foundation for the Arts Fellowship with Touchstone Gallery in northwest D.C. The two-year fellowship includes multiple group exhibition opportunities and a mentorship program, culminating with a solo show.
Fuentes was selected based on his “artistic vision, originality and quality of artwork, and endless creativity,” says Abbey Alison McClain, executive director of Touchstone Gallery and Touchstone Foundation for the Arts. “The TFA team was eager to delve deeper into Jonathan's collage and sculptural work throughout all three rounds of the selection process, and he consistently stood out as a leading candidate. Touchstone is excited to welcome Fuentes and his artwork to the Gallery.”
The announcement follows another recent honor for Fuentes: selection as a finalist in the Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino 2024 Design Contest. He submitted a collage to the competition after encouragement from another UDC alum.
“I don’t usually apply to contests,” says Fuentes, 31. “She believed in me, so I just gave it a try.” While Fuentes didn’t take home the crown, he says he was touched by the support he received.
The graphic designer began experimenting with collage in 2022 and set out to craft at least one piece per week. Today, he has roughly 140 finished collages.
“I have the mentality of a collector, so I do enjoy series a whole lot,” he says, describing his Instagram page as one large project.
Fuentes says he had a penchant for doodling as a kid, and gravitated toward the bright colors and shapes in cartoon shows. He moved to D.C. from El Salvador at 14 and says his heritage and experience as an immigrant informs his work in the sense that it informs his identity.
“I’ve had a very different life experience; it’s just part of who I am,” Fuentes says.
His education at UDC played a principal role in his development as an artist, Fuentes says. He completed his associate degree in art in 2014 and returned a few years later to pursue a four-year degree, working closely with Visual Art Professor Daniel Venne. Though Fuentes focused primarily on graphic design during his time at UDC, the breadth of his collage work inspired Venne to offer him a solo show at UDC’s Gallery 42.
“He would come in week after week with piles of work,” Venne says. “I would walk in one day and he’d be sitting out in the middle of the lobby wearing a mask that he’d made, holding a new stack of collages. There was so much work because he’s so wildly creative.”
Fuentes initially chose UDC for its affordability. But the artist says he got much more than access to higher education at the university, including connections with other artists, gallery experience and, ultimately, more confidence.
“It kind of felt like I was an artist,” he says. “It’s kind of like saying it versus believing it—I believe it now.”