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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 26, 2011
Contact: Gregory Liakos,
Communications Director 617-727-3668 x343
State Fellowships Honor Exceptional Artists
MCC Announces Grants in Crafts, Film & Video, and Photography
(Boston, MA) - The Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) has recognized
39 Massachusetts artists
for creating work of exceptional quality in the disciplines of
crafts, film & video, and photography. The MCC’s Artist
Fellowship Program has awarded $7,500 unrestricted grants
to 20 artists, and distinguished 19 others as finalists with $500
grants. See
a full list of artists funded in 2011.
MCC’s Artist Fellowships recognize the unique contribution made by artists to the cultural vitality of the Commonwealth. The anonymously-judged fellowships provide direct assistance to Massachusetts artists to recognize excellence and creative ability, and to support further development of their talents. MCC chronicles the impact of these awards in the Fellows Notes section of its blog, ArtSake. Over the years, many artists of national and international prominence have won MCC fellowships.
"I am continually amazed by the range and quality of work created by Massachusetts artists," said MCC Executive Director Anita Walker. "This work greatly enriches communities throughout the Commonwealth, and we are honored to support it."
Work by Photography Fellows includes vivid portraits of beach-goers
(Stephen DiRado, Worcester); highly personal photographs of a
family's history (Sarah Skwira, Southampton); photographs documenting
life in the former Soviet Union (Frank Ward, Williamsburg); abstract
images exploring mortality (Tara Sellios, Somerville); and a series
of photographs exploring cultural meanings of the color pink (Lisa
Kessler, Boston). The Photography panelists were Vaughn Sills
(MCC Photography Fellow ’09), George Slade (Photographic Resource
Center Program Manager/Curator), and Paula Tognarelli (Griffin
Museum of Photography Executive Director).
Crafts Fellows include accomplished furniture-makers (John Cameron, Gloucester, and Timothy Coleman, Shelburne Falls) and artists making pieces both functional (including Carrie Gustafson, Arlington and Elin Noble, New Bedford) and abstract (Mark Cooper, Somerville, and Warren Mather, Weston). The panel was particularly impressed by the work of Mariko Kusumoto (Lexington), who creates intricate metalworks with movable parts, gears, and musical mechanisms. The Crafts panelists were Michael Giaquinto (Cape Cod Museum of Art Exhibitions Curator), Robbie Heidinger (MCC Crafts Fellow ’09), and Perry Price (Fuller Crafts Museum Assistant Curator of Exhibitions and Collections).
Film & Video Fellows include emerging artists like Nicky Tavares
(Boston), who blends live action and computer animation in her
fascinating experimental documentary Fwd: Update on My Life
and established artists like Ilisa Barbash and Lucien Castaing-Taylor
(Chestnut Hill), whose film Sweetgrass was one of the
most lauded documentaries of 2010. Also among the fellows is Karen
Aqua (Cambridge), whose animated work has screened internationally
and regularly appears on “Sesame Street.” The Film & Video panelists
were Claire Andrade-Watkins (MCC Film & Video Fellow ’09), Carter
Long (Museum of Fine Arts Boston Katharine Stone White Curator
of Film & Video), and Jake Mahaffy (filmmaker).
This is the second series of individual artists receiving direct funding from
the MCC in 2011. In January 2011, MCC announced its first group
of 2011 Artist Fellowships, in music composition, playwriting,
and sculpture/installation.
The MCC Artist Fellowship Program awards grants in specific artistic disciplines on a biennial cycle. Applications are accepted from artists who live and work in Massachusetts. Next year, fellowships will be awarded in drawing, painting, traditional arts, choreography, fiction/creative nonfiction, and poetry. Artist awards are based on recommendations by independent panels of experts who practice in the disciplines they review. Learn more about the program, and about all artists selected since 2003 on Gallery@MCC.
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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