Connecticut Artists Awarded Fellowships by the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism

Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism 2005-2006 Press Releases

35 Connecticut Artists Awarded Fellowships by the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism

HARTFORD, Conn. (February 8, 2006) The Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism (CCT) has awarded fellowships to 35 resident visual artists to support their continuing artistic development and enable them to devote substantial time to the creation of new and important work. The fellows were selected by panels of professional peers from among nearly 200 applicants in a highly competitive process.

Grants in the amount of $5,000 and $2,500 were awarded in the categories of crafts, digital art, painting/works on paper, photography, and sculpture. The Artist Fellowship program awards grants on an alternating annual basis with the visual arts recognized this year and disciplines such as writing, music composition, choreography, and film/video next year. Funding for the program is provided by the State of Connecticut and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal government agency.

“The Commission on Culture & Tourism is firmly committed to furthering the professional development of individual artists,” said CCT Executive Director Jennifer Aniskovich. “Artists are at the core of the rich cultural heritage of Connecticut and contribute to the vitality of our communities. We believe that supporting artists in the creation of exciting new work ultimately benefits us all.”

This year’s recipients, listed alphabetically by hometown, are as follows:

Town Name Discipline Grant
Avon, Julia Fosson, Painting $2,500
Bethany, Sharon Steuer Digital/Cyber Art $2,500
Bethlehem, Martin R. Ariola Crafts $2,500
Bridgeport Kelly Bigelow Becerra Digital/Cyber Art $2,500
Canton Jennifer Knaus Painting $5,000
Easton Joan Brinton Wheeler Photography $2,500
Fairfield Thomas Mezzanotte Photography $2,500
Guilford Laurie Flaherty Painting $2,500
Hamden Colleen Coleman Painting $2,500
Hamden Gerald Saladyga Painting $2,500
Hamden Henry Paper Photography $5,000
Ivoryton Pam Erickson Crafts $2,500
Manchester Christine Shank Photography $2,500
Meriden Terrence Lavin Crafts $5,000
Milford Melissa Blair Sculpture $2,500
Mystic Sharon Butler Digital/Cyber Art $5,000
New Haven Brian Gill Wendler Painting $5,000
New Haven Steven R. DiGiovanni Painting $2,500
New Haven Linda H Lindroth Photography $5,000
New Haven Meredith Miller Photography $2,500
New London Diane Barcelo Sculpture $5,000
Norwalk Pat Genova Painting $2,500
Plantsville Victoria J. Kniering Sculpture $2,500
Redding Karla Knight Painting $2,500
Redding Jane Philbrick Sculpture $5,000
Ridgefield Gloria Santoyo Ruenitz Painting $2,500
Stonington Susan Schultz Crafts $2,500
Storrs Daniel Long Photography $2,500
Wallingford Rashmi Talpade Photography $2,500
West Hartford Kathi Packer Painting $5,000
West Hartford Robert Dente Painting $2,500
West Haven Jeff Slomba Sculpture $2,500
Weston Eve Stockton Painting $2,500
Willimantic June Bisantz Evans Digital/Cyber Art $2,500
Woodbridge Rosalind Brodoff Painting $2,500

Panels of experts in each field reviewed slides of applicants’ works to determine award recipients. Jurors are as follows:

Crafts: Christine Enos is a faculty member at the Rhode Island School of Design, manages a cooperative furniture studio in Providence and has established her own studio furniture business. John Russell has more than 25 years experience in the visual arts and is the Executive Director of the Brookfield Craft Center. Edward Russo is the Associate Registrar for the Wadsworth Atheneum and has also served as Assistant Head of Exhibitions for the museum.

Digital Art: Patricia Galvis Assmus is Director of the Center for Research in Art and Technology at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst where she is also Director of Programs for the art department. Ken Lovell founded the digital print shop at Yale University’s Digital Media Center for the Arts and has instructed students and faculty in fine arts digital imaging for a number of years. Carole Anne Meehan is the Director of ICA/Vita Brevis Project at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston where she oversees all aspects of producing temporary public art projects throughout the city.

Painting/Works on Paper: Brandon Graving is a Master Printmaker and Instructor of Experimental Monoprinting at the Contemporary Artist Center in North Adams, MA and the Hillary Street Studio in New Orleans, LA. Lillian Mulero is a practicing artist specializing in painting and sculpture, is the recipient of many awards, and is an advisor for the New York Foundation on the Arts’ fellowship program. Brian Shure is a painter, master printer and a faculty member at the Rhode Island School of Design in the Printmaking department.

Photography: Erik Gould is a photographer at the Museum of Art at the Rhode Island School of Design and the recipient of several prestigious awards for his work. Susan Jahoda is a professor of Art at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and has been a visiting lecturer at a number of institutions including Sarah Lawrence College, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and Princeton University. Lisa Young has taught at Brown University in Providence and other area colleges and is a fellowship recipient of the New England Foundation for the Arts.

Sculpture: Cathey Billian is a Professor of Art and Design at Pratt Institute in New York. A National Endowment for the Arts Fellow, she is also a four-time recipient of New York State Council on the Arts grants and other awards including six National Parks Service residencies.

Carlos Dorrien has taught at several colleges in the northeast and has an active career in public art. His many commissioned sculptures can be seen in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Columbia, S.A. Marlene Malik is an Associate Professor of Art at Brown University in Providence, RI, and actively exhibits her own artwork, which includes site-specific installations and video projects.

In fiscal year 2007, the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism will offer Artist Fellowships in the categories of choreography, poetry, playwriting, fiction, music composition and film/video. Guidelines and application forms will be available on the Commission’s website: www.cultureandtourism.org/arts in the summer of 2006. The deadline will be in September 2006.

The Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism brings together tourism, film, history and the arts. Its mission is to preserve and promote Connecticut’s cultural and tourism assets in order to enhance the quality of life and economic vitality of the state. The Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism is located at One Financial Plaza, 755 Main Street, Hartford, Connecticut.