Kentucky Arts Council awards Al Smith Fellowships, Emerging Artist Awards
Frankfort, Ky. (Aug. 26, 2022) — When Morehead mixed media installation artist Elizabeth Mesa-Gaido found out she was one of five recipients of the Kentucky Arts Council’s Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowship, she thought back to 1996, when she was awarded her first Al Smith Fellowship.
“The Kentucky Arts Council helped jump start my career with visibility, encouragement and financial assistance,” she said. “It’s why my husband and I stayed in Kentucky – because of the arts council’s support of the arts and artists.”
Mesa-Gaido was one of five Kentucky artists awarded the Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowship. Named for longtime KET political reporter and former Kentucky Arts Council board member Al Smith, the fellowship is a $7,500 unrestricted award given to a Kentucky artist who has achieved a high level of excellence and creativity in their discipline. For the 2023 fiscal year, the fellowship was awarded for visual arts.
This is Mesa-Gaido’s second Al Smith Fellowship, which can only be awarded to any individual twice in their lifetime. When she earned her first one in 1996, she and husband Gary had been living in Kentucky for four years, each having taken adjunct teaching positions in the art department at Morehead State University in 1992.
Mesa-Gaido said the excitement at receiving the fellowship has not waned in the intervening decades.
“It feels wonderful to be supported 26 years later, to have my work acknowledged by professionals in the field, to have it recognized as meaningful and impactful,” she said. “It feels like I’m still on the right track.”
Mesa-Gaido has considered herself a professional artist for about 31 years, but she was influenced early in life by her parents, who she said are “huge supporters of the arts.”
“I think the earliest memories I’ve had of art is seeing other people’s work and getting to participate in local nonprofit organizations that provided arts opportunities for children,” she said.
Recipients of the Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowships, listed by discipline and county, are:
- John Harlan Norris, painting, Fayette
- Elizabeth Mesa-Gaido, mixed media, Rowan
- Johnathan McFadden, mixed media, Fayette
- Boris Zakic, painting, Scott
- Wyatt Severs, wood, Calloway
In addition to the five Al Smith Fellowships, the arts council awarded four Emerging Artist Awards, $1,000 unrestricted grants to early-career, professional Kentucky artists who demonstrate excellence and creativity in their work.
Recipients of the Emerging Artist Awards, listed by discipline and county, are:
- Kristin Grenier, fiber, Harrison
- Edd Johannemann, sculpture, Oldham
- Paul Buhrmester, sculpture, Warren
- Ashley N. Schell, painting, Ohio
For more information about the Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowships and Emerging Artists Awards, visit the arts council website or contact Tamara Coffey at tamara.coffey@ky.gov or 502-892-3121.
|
