$75,000 Awarded Across the Disciplines of Songwriting and Works on Paper
Richmond, VA –– The Virginia Commission for the Arts (VCA) announces the Artist Fellowship award recipients for 2022-2023. This year debuts Songwriting, the program’s newest discipline, alongside Works on Paper. Between the two disciplines, the VCA awarded 15 Fellowships and $75,000 to artists working in and contributing to the Commonwealth of Virginia.
“This Artist Fellowship program is incredibly significant in its support to elevate individual artists who call Virginia home,” said Margaret Hancock, Executive Director of the Virginia Commission for the Arts. “This year’s Fellows merit such support through their diverse and impactful contributions as practitioners; educators; recording and exhibiting artists, and sophisticated storytellers – both through words and images.”
The 2022-2023 Fellows hail from across the Commonwealth, with their Fellowship supporting such initiatives as album recordings, professional development opportunities, upcoming exhibitions, artist collaborations, and – for one artist balancing musical pursuits with a physical disability – a glove specially designed for instrument access. The range of artists and intended uses for the Fellowship funds demonstrate the importance of this program to Virginia and its creative class.
2022 – 2023 VCA Fellowship Recipients for Songwriting
- Reinaldo Alvarez | Richmond | www.miramar-music.com
- Orion Faruque | Charlottesville | www.orionandthemeltedcrayons.com
- Christopher Jeter | Newport News | www.solo.to/id_jeter
- Molly Joyce | Charlottesville | www.mollyjoyce.com
- Nancy McNamara | Dendron | www.spartanjet-plex.bandcamp.com
- Curt Sydnor | Richmond | www.curtsydnor.com
- Kari Thomas Kovick | Floyd | www.heartofthechildmusic.com
2022 – 2023 VCA Fellowship Recipients for Works on Paper
- Anne Renee Gower | Richmond | www.renigower.com
- A.D. Herzel | Blue Ridge | www.pseudopompous.com
- Johnson, Susan | Richmond | www.suejohnson1.com
- Blythe King | Richmond | www.cargocollective.com/blytheking
- Janice Knipe | Radford | https://www.hollins.edu/museum/JanKnipe.pdf
- AnneMarie Liddell | Charlottesville | www.artscenterinorange.com/blue-ridge-sonnets
- Nikki Painter | Chesterfield | www.nikkipainter.com
- Tree Williams | Faber | www.treewilliamsart.com
About the Artist Fellowships
Established in 1981, the VCA Artist Fellowship program recognizes the creative contributions of artists to the Commonwealth of Virginia by supporting their pursuit of artistic excellence. Each year, statewide experts and working artists serve as panelists to review and recommend Fellowship recipients. Over the last 40-plus years, the Fellows program has swelled to include hundreds of prestigious artists across the performing, literary, and visual arts. This year marked the inaugural Songwriting Fellows – expanding the list of disciplines including choreography, sculpture, photography, poetry, and more.
Fellowships are available to artists over 18 years of age who are Virginia residents. Funding in this category is highly competitive and specific arts disciplines are eligible for support each year on a rotating basis, dependent upon the amount of state available to the Commission. New disciplines for Artist Fellowships are announced each summer with applications going live in October.
About the Virginia Commission for the Arts
The Virginia Commission for the Arts, established in 1968, is the state agency dedicated to investing in the arts across the Commonwealth of Virginia. The VCA fulfills its mission through funding from the Virginia General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts, distributing grant awards to Virginia artists; arts organizations; educational institutions; nonprofit organizations; educators; and local and tribal governments. Learn more at www.vca.virginia.gov.
Media Contact
Margaret Hancock, Executive Director
804.225.3132
margaret.hancock@vca.virginia.gov