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For Immediate Release
January 28, 2009
Media Contact
- Allison Tratner
- 609.292.4524
- allison@arts.sos.state.nj.us
State Arts Council Awards 2009 Artists' Fellowships, Swears in New Members and Holds 12th Annual Roundtable for Artists
(Trenton, NJ) The New Jersey State Council on the Arts announced the award of 2009 Artists’ Fellowships totaling $199,800 to 26 New Jersey artists who were selected from an applicant pool of more than 460 artists. These highly competitive awards are based on independent peer panel review of work samples submitted and the anonymous process is focused solely on artistic quality. The grants help professional artists to produce new work and advance their careers and impact on the community. The recipients are listed below.
During the meeting devoted to the value of artists to our communities, Arts Council Chair Carol Ann Herbert spoke about the changing needs of the country and the state and how the arts are part of the solution. “New Jersey is home to some of the most extraordinary artists and arts organizations that have incredible impact on our lives, and it’s important that we recognize the value of that impact, especially now,” stated Herbert. “In today’s challenging world the arts can be a powerful tool with which to address our most pressing issues both on the local level and nationally. In the case of the economy, we know the arts industry is an economic engine that generates $1.5 million in the state’s economy each year and returns $36 million in State tax revenues.”
Steve Runk, executive director of the State Arts Council, gave an overview of the Council’s programs of support and service to artists. Runk praised New Jersey artists for their achievements and the important contributions artists make to our lives and communities throughout the state. One New Jersey artist, Maria Maziotti Gillan, was applauded for her recent receipt of the prestigious American Book Award for her latest book, All That Lies Between Us, from which she read an excerpt. The Council also heard a presentation by Rahway Mayor James Kennedy, who talked about the benefits of artists to the revitalization and redevelopment of the city of Rahway.
In other business, the Council welcomed two new members, Elizabeth Mattson and Kevin O’Brien, who were officially sworn in by Deputy Attorney General Cheryl Clarke. “I am honored to be appointed to the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. I am looking forward to contributing to the quality of life in our state through the arts,” said Mattson, who resides in Green Pond in Morris County and is a former educator and educational consultant. She recently served as the director of Drumthwacket, the official residence of the Governor of New Jersey. O’Brien, of Morristown, is a freelance theatrical technical director and currently serves as President of Northern New Jersey Theatrical Stagehands Local 632 IATSE, among other professional affiliations. “The return-on-investment that the Arts contribute to our great State is exponential,” remarked O’Brien. “The activities in these fields not only create jobs within them but spread beyond as well to other businesses that benefit from attendance at cultural events. Clearly, the arts stimulate the soul of the community as well as contribute to its economic milieu. I am honored to be a member of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and to contribute in some small measure to insuring its mission.”
Following the business meeting the Arts Council convened the 12th annual Artists’ Roundtable to present learning and support opportunities for artists in all disciplines. The four sessions featured presentations on financial planning, marketing and self-promotion, long and short-term studio residencies, and the Council’s Artists-in-Education program through which artists work with students both in school and after-school settings.
2009 Artists’ Fellowship Recipients
| Discipline/Name |
City/County |
Award |
| Crafts |
| Veronica Byun |
Jersey City/Hudson |
$7,000 |
| J Carpenter |
Jersey City/Hudson |
$7,000 |
| Linda Rae Coughlin |
Warren/Somerset |
$7,000 |
| Joan Dreyer |
Westfield/Union |
$8,600 |
| William Macholdt |
Raritan/Somerset |
$7,000 |
| Diane Savona |
Passaic/Passaic |
$8,600 |
| Peter Tischler |
Washington/Warren |
$7,000 |
| Photography |
| Juliana Beasley |
Jersey City/Hudson |
$7,000 |
| Terry Boddie |
West Orange/Essex |
$7,000 |
| Michael Froio |
Williamstown/Gloucester |
$7,000 |
| Roger Sayre |
Jersey City/Hudson |
$7,000 |
| Gerald Slota |
Patterson/Passaic |
$8,600 |
| Wendel White |
Galloway/Atlantic |
$8,600 |
| Playwriting |
| Dominique Cieri |
Branchville/Sussex |
$7,000 |
| Pia Wilson |
Montclair/Essex |
$7,000 |
| Poetry |
| Kathleen Graber |
Wildwood/Cape May |
$7,000 |
| Peter Murphy |
Ventnor Atlantic |
$7,000 |
| Prose |
| Pamela Burke |
Middletown/Monmouth |
$12,000 |
| Emil Draitser |
West New York/Hudson |
$7,000 |
| Ruchama King |
Passaic/Passaic |
$8,600 |
| Eileen Fisher |
Vernon/Sussex |
$7,000 |
| Iyanna Jones |
Jersey City/Hudson |
$7,000 |
| Eson Kim |
Stratford/Camden |
$7,000 |
| Toni de Palma |
Toms River/Ocean |
$8,600 |
| Sculpture |
| Jed Morfit |
Collingswood/Camden |
$8,600 |
| Tom Nussbaum |
Montclair/Essex |
$8,600 |
Photographs Available
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