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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 23, 2008
Contact: Greg Liakos,
Communications Director 617-727-3668 x343
Rob Watson, Communications
Coordinator 617-727-3668 x268
MCC Recognizes Artists for Exceptional
Work
39 Visual Artists, Choreographers, Musicians and Authors Awarded
$7,500
(BOSTON, MA) -- The Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) has recognized
more than 60 Massachusetts artists for creating work of exceptional
quality in a range of disciplines. MCC’s Artist Fellowship Program
will award $7,500 unrestricted grants to 39 artists, and distinguish
24 others as finalists. These outstanding artists were selected
from 1,800 applicants in the disciplines of choreography,
drawing, painting, fiction/creative nonfiction, poetry
and traditional arts.
MCC’s Artist Fellowships recognize the unique contribution made
by artists to the cultural vitality of the Commonwealth. The grants
provide direct assistance to Massachusetts artists to recognize
excellence and creative ability, and to support further development
of their talents.
A recent study by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) found
that Massachusetts has the third highest number of artists per capita
in the nation, trailing only New York and California. “The NEA study
reaffirms the vital importance of artists to Massachusetts,” says
MCC Executive Director Anita Walker. "These fellowships are
one way for the public to celebrate and support the individual artist,
the backbone of our state’s creative economy.”
The artists recognized this year represent a diverse range of styles
and media. They include:
- Painting Fellowships were awarded to artists including Joel
Janowitz , recently featured in group exhibitions at the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park and Regis College,
and David Moore, who was featured in an acclaimed
solo show at Boston’s Kidder Smith Gallery in 2006.
- Choreography Fellows have performed across the globe, in locations
as diverse as Denmark, Ecuador, Venezuela and Germany. Tommy
Neblett and Diane Arvanites-Noya formed
Prometheus Dance, as well as Elders Ensemble, a company of post-professional
dancers ages 60-85. Sue Murad of UV Protection
is inspired by location, leading her to perform in a variety of
public and private spaces.
- In Traditional Arts, Franco-American fiddler Donna Hébert
is the co-founder of two Franco music groups, Chanterelle and
the Beaudoin Legacy. Teacher, performer and choreographer Kieran
Jordan marries Irish traditions with Cape Breton step
dance.
- Fiction/Creative Nonfiction Fellows include Steve Almond,
author of Candyfreak: A Journey Through the Chocolate Underbelly
of America; Xujun Eberlein, author of the
just-released short story collection Apologies Forthcoming;
and Joan Wickersham, whose memoir The Suicide
Index will be published in August.
- Drawing Fellows include Fred H.C. Liang, who
creates large-scale silkscreens and whose work has shown in Australia
and South Korea, and Sandra Allen, who has been
featured in recent exhibitions at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston
and the DeCordova.
- Poetry Fellow Patrick Donnelly’s acclaimed
collection The Charge focuses on a poet’s life in the
age of AIDS; Elizabeth Hughey’s collection Sunday
Houses the Sunday House finds significance in the objects
of our daily lives.
A full list of the selected artists, along with digital images,
writing samples, and video clips of their work, is available online
at the Gallery@MCC at www.massculturalcouncil.org/gallery.asp.
The MCC Artist Fellowship Program awards grants in specific artistic
disciplines on a biennial cycle. Applications are accepted from
any artist who lives and works in Massachusetts. Next year, MCC
will accept applications in crafts, film/video, music composition,
photography, playwriting/new theatre works and sculpture/installation.
Like all MCC grants, artist awards are based on recommendations
by independent panels of experts who practice in the disciplines
they review.
Past and present honorees will be showcased in several exhibitions
this fall and spring.
About the Massachusetts Cultural Council
The Massachusetts Cultural Council promotes excellence, access,
education and diversity in the arts, humanities and interpretive
sciences, in order to improve the quality of life for all Massachusetts
residents and contribute to the economic vitality of our communities.
MCC is a state agency committed to building a central place for
arts and culture in the everyday lives of communities across the
Commonwealth. It pursues this mission through a combination of grants,
services, and advocacy for cultural organizations, schools, communities,
and artists. MCC receives an annual appropriation from the state
Legislature and funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and
other sources.
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© Massachusetts Cultural Council 2009
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