The Arkansas Arts Council has named the 18 recipients of $5,000 Individual Artist Fellowship grants to Arkansas artists and performers for 2023.
“These fellowships encourage and create opportunity for Arkansas creatives,” said Shea Lewis, interim secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. “Not only do these grants recognize the incredible talent we have in our state, but they also provide much-needed flexible funding for artists who are the backbone of our state’s creative economy.”
The grants are unconditional, non-matching awards made directly to individual creators in six categories: multisensory works with a tactile component; community engagement; contemporary craft with metal component; oil or acrylic painting on canvas; written theater monologue; and stand-up comedy.
Funding from the Windgate Foundation, a private family foundation has enabled the Arts Council for the second straight year to award 18 fellowships, up from nine awards previously.
This year’s fellows:
Multisensory art
— Aaron Turner of Fayetteville, a photographer and educator
— Elby Mann of Eureka Springs, who creates interactive sculptures infused with lights and music.
— Yanique Mitchell Graham of Bentonville, a Jamaican-born artist who creates works “that explore the human experience and universal consciousness,” according to a news release.
Community engagement
— Shine Benkim of Springdale, from Jaluit Atoll, Marshall Islands, who uses traditional weaving, song and storytelling to share knowledge with youth and preserve Marshallese culture.
— Simone Cottrell of Fayetteville, the owner of Rachhana Creative Consulting who has recently been an Ozarks cultural researcher and presenter with the Smithsonian Center for Folklife & Cultural Heritage.
— Rachel Reynolds of Fox, a community organizer
Contemporary craft with metal component
— Jerry Fisk of Nashville, who travels and teaches blademaking internationally.
— Lin Rhea of Prattsville, also a bladesmith, named the 2023 Arkansas Living Treasure.
— Paula Casey McGee of Dover, who designs and creates soft-sculpture fantasy art using hand-stitched fibers and mixed media.
Visual art: Oil or acrylic painting on canvas
— Joelle Storet of Fayetteville, an acrylic artist who teaches portraiture and languages at a nonprofit that supports adults with learning challenges.
— Neil Callander of Fayetteville
— Shabana Kauser of Fayetteville, an oil painter whose works are influenced by her shared experiences as the daughter of Pakistani immigrants to the United Kingdom and as an immigrant to the United States.
Literary arts: Written theater monologue
— Adrienne Dawes of Fayetteville, writer, producer and teaching artist who studied sketch writing and improvisation at the Second City Training Center in Chicago
— Playwright and television writer Mary Sue Price of Fayetteville
— Playwright Sarah Loucks of Fayetteville.
Performing arts: Stand-up comedy
— Jordan Williams of Fayetteville
— Joseph Molinaro of North Little Rock
— Charles Nicholas Moore of Maumelle
An Oct. 16 reception at the Old State House Museum, 300 W. Markham St., Little Rock, will honor the recipients.