Friends, family and Fellows mourned the passing of
Alan Dugan, a constant supporter and inspirational force at the Fine Arts Work Center. Former Fellow Keith Althaus wrote a touching tribute which appears on page 12.
The Fine Arts Work Center was the site for the first Regional Meeting of Alliance of Artists Communities in June 2003. The Alliance operates on the premise that the future of American culture depends on supporting creativity and a broad diversity of artists, an echo of the Fine Arts Work Center’s mission. The focus topics of this first meeting were board development, marketing and promotion, and community relations.
The Fine Arts Work Center Medal for Distinguished Service in the Arts was presented to five individuals of national distinction who have provided exceptional inspiration and
support to emerging artists and writers. Nancy Spero and Leon Golub, Robert Pinsky, Alix Ritchie and Marty Davis were honored at a gala dinner and ceremony at the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square in November. Past award recipients include Stanley Kunitz, Louise Bourgeois, Grace Paley, Robert Blackburn, Chuck Close, William Kennedy, and Stephen and Susan Paine.
Work Center Fellows, past and present, continue to shine in the world of arts and letters. Louise Glück, a Writing Fellow from 1969-1971, was named Poet Laureate of the United States in August 2003. Former Visual Arts Fellow (1986–87) Lisa Yuskavage was part of the "de Kooning to Today" exhibition at the Whitney Museum in October and November, 2003. Her piece "Big Northview" served to illustrate "America’s innovative and diversified artistic production during the past five decades." Visual Arts Fellow (1995–1997) Ellen Gallagher’s painting "They Could Still Serve" is currently on view at the Museum of Modern Art, part of an exhibition that also includes work by Cezanne, van Gogh, Kline, Matisse, Picasso, Warhol, and Gerhard Richter. Former Fellow (1996) Adam Haslett’s short story collection, You Are Not A Stranger Here, was a finalist for last year’s National Book Award and won the L.L. Winship/PEN New England Award; his story "Devotion" from that collection was included in the Best American Short Stories 2003. Former Writing Fellow (1993–1994) Josh Weiner won the Rome Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Major Jackson, 2000–2001 Writing Fellow, received a Whiting Award in November 2003. Jennifer Tseng, also a Writing Fellow from 2000–2002, was the first recipient of the Gift of Freedom Award, a $50,000 prize from the A Room of Her Own Foundation.
For more information and news about our Former Fellows, please visit the "Former Fellows New" section of our website at FAWC.org. A new section now features images to accompany the accomplishments of Former Fellows, and includes a link to the easy-to-fill-out form that can be updated and organized.
Each year, the Work Center hosts an amazing line-up of artists and writers who agree to come and share recent work. The 2003 winter Visiting Writers included Eamon Grennan, Ha Jin, Dean Young, Elizabeth Alexander, Victor LaValle, and Junot Diaz. Visiting Artists included Robert Storr, Charles Spurrier, Thomas Nozkowski, David Humphrey, and Janice Redman. Visual Arts Coordinator Maryalice Johnston brought the Fellows to New York to visit Chuck Close in his studio. A few of the artists and writers invited to visit during the 2004 Fellowship year are Kate Sheppard, Linda Bessemer, Ellen Gallagher, Grace Paley, Carl Phillips, and George Saunders.
In August, Stanley Kunitz, going strong at 98, stirred his Work Center audience with a passionate talk on the poetry of the Holocaust, including a poignant reading of poems by Paul Célan.
Gilbert Franklin and Michael Mazur, former Co-Chairs of the FAWC Board of Trustees, joined to present a spectacular exhibition of their work mid-summer. Mike’s paintings and Gil’s sculptures worked in harmony to infuse the Hudson D. Walker Gallery with a vital force of color and form. They also delivered a slide lecture on their work, which was well attended by the arts community.
Another highlight of the summer season was a reading by Grace Paley and a number of her friends, celebrating the new, permanently endowed Fellowship in her name. Marie Howe, Gish Jen, Mary Oliver and Galway Kinnell read their favorite Paley poems and prose pieces, and then read selections from their own work.
In October, the new Fellows were greeted with an exhibition by FAWC’s Visual Arts Committee in the Hudson D. Walker Gallery. The show included works by: Pat de Groot, David Humphrey, Maryalice Johnston, Paul Bowen, Susan Lyman, Jim Peters, Mira Schor, Duane Slick, Lauren Ewing, Doug Ritter, Itty Neuhaus and Bert Yarborough. The 2003–2004 Visual Arts Fellows responded with an Exhibition of their own that featured the works of all ten Visual Arts Fellows.
