The Rasmuson Foundation announced awards to 37 Alaska artists on Tuesday. Painter and art historian Kesler Woodward of Fairbanks received the 2012 Distinguished Artist Award, which includes an unrestricted grant of $25,000.
Woodward was the Curator of Visual Arts at the Alaska State Museum in Juneau and artistic director at the Visual Arts Center of Alaska in Anchorage before moving to Fairbanks in 1981. He taught at the University of Alaska Fairbanks for more than 20 years and retired from teaching in 2000 to devote himself to painting full time. He has curated several exhibits of Alaska art and authored eight books on the topic.
This is the ninth year of the Individual Artist Awards program, and as of today, the program has awarded 267 grants, totaling $1.9 million, directly to Alaska artists.
Ten Artist Fellowships, worth up to $12,000 each, were awarded from a field of 305 applications determined by a national panel. Recipients are:
Laura Bliss-Spaan, filmmaker, Anchorage
Jack Dalton, storyteller and playwright, Anchorage
Brendan Harrington, artist and photographer, Kodiak
Tommy Joseph, artist and totem maker, Sitka
Da-ka-xeen Mehner, artist, Fairbanks
Karina Moeller, composer, Anchorage
Phillip Munger, composer, Wasilla
Kat Tomka , artist, Anchorage
Sonya Kelliher-Combs, artist, Anchorage
Morris Palter, percussionist, Fairbanks
Twenty-six project grants of up to $5,000 each were awarded to:
Karrie Pavish Anderson, singer/songwriter, Galena
Beth Blankenship, crafter, Anchorage
Slavik Boyechko, filmmaker, Anchorage
Melina Draper, poet, Fairbanks
Ashley DuRoss, artist, Petersburg
David Gerard, folk artist, Homer
Ronald Klein, photographer, Juneau
George Kuhar, filmmaker and musician, Juneau
Kristin Elizabeth Link, artist, McCarthy
Enzina Marrari, artist, Anchorage
Andrew Michael, artist and mask-maker, Anchorage
Maria Nicolai, artist, Bethel
Tracy Opeim, folk artist, Kodiak
Cinthia Ritchie, writer, Anchorage
Timothy Robb, composer, Tenderfoot Hill
Mattox Roesch, writer, Unalakleet
Lucas Rowley, playwright, Anchorage
Mark Tetpon, crafter, Anchorage
David Walker, woodworker, Juneau
Allison Warden, performance artist, Anchorage
Teague Whalen, composer, Ketchikan
Theresa Woldstad, traditional artist, North Pole
Roblin Davis, actor and playwright, Juneau
Meagan Mackey, singer/songwriter, Anchorage
Adam Ottavi Schiesl, photographer, Ester
Richard Eissler, photographer, Soldotna
Reach Mike Dunham at mdunham@adn.com or 257-4332.
By MIKE DUNHAM
Anchorage Daily News