A few days ago I was notified that I received a $2,000 McKnight/ARAC (Arrowhead Regional Arts Council in Duluth, MN) Emerging Artists Fellowship award!
“Cathryn Peters is a Fiscal Year 2005 recipient of an Emerging Artist Fellowship grant from the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council, through an appropriation from the McKnight Foundation.”
“The Council was able to award fellowships to only four artists and two emerging artists from a field of thirty six exceptionally strong applicants working in four different disciplines.”
My proposal was to travel to England and study with the master willow basketmakers, willow sculptures and seatweavers. The twelve slides I presented were of my contemporary antler basketry, however I mentioned my seatweaving experience also.
Flame, 2004I applied for the $4,000 grant amount for established artists, but didn’t receive it because my exhibition history was not as strong as the other four recipients.
As stated in the grant application instructions, an established artist has a very strong exhibition and gallery representation history. Emerging artists are based on their exhibition history and gallery representation also, not length of time in the field.
Antler/Sweetgrass, 2004I have been in close contact with Olivia Elton Barratt, seatweaving and basketry expert, author of several books, and president of the Basketmakers’ Association who is helping me with the class schedule, housing and will be showing me around.
However, I haven’t heard from her since the bombings in London, and know she travels there on “the tube” frequently. My prayers, sympathies and hope for renewed strength and recovery are sent to all those involved in this terrible tragedy.
