American composer Lewis Spratlan won an Artist Fellowship the first year the grants were offered, in 1975. He had just begun working on an opera, Life Is a Dream, whose journey spanned five decades, from near-abandonment to the one of the highest honors in American music. Mass Cultural Council is celebrating 40 Years of Fellowships by sharing video interviews with some … [Read more...]
Why Fund Artists?
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has been supporting artists for over 40 years through the Artist Fellowships Program. To help illuminate why, Mass Cultural Council has asked past awardees going all the way back to 1975 to share their personal stories of receiving the state award for artistic excellence. The following gallery compiles of some of those stories, which tell of … [Read more...]
Sculptor Niho Kozuru: Structure & Flow
Mass Cultural Council is celebrating 40 Years of Fellowships by sharing video interviews with some of the extraordinary artists who have received Artist Fellowships since the program's inception in 1975. We were excited to visit with Niho Kozuru (Sculpture/Installation/New Genres Fellow '09) during her solo exhibition at the Hess Gallery at Pine Manor College, in Winter … [Read more...]
Choreographers Diane Arvanites and Tommy Neblett: A Prolific Collaboration
We're celebrating 40 Years of Fellowships by sharing video interviews with some of the extraordinary artists who have received Artist Fellowships since the program's inception in 1975. Many "perfect match" collaborations have helped Diane Arvanites and Tommy Neblett, aka Prometheus Dance, receive six Artist Fellowships since 1994, making them the most highly awarded artists … [Read more...]
Melinda Lopez: A Soaring Theatrical Voice
We're celebrating 40 Years of Fellowships by sharing video interviews with some of the extraordinary artists who have received Artist Fellowships since the program's inception in 1975. For playwright Melinda Lopez (Dramatic Writing Fellow '03), several opportunities came together in short succession, which opened doors, which led to other opportunities... All the while, her … [Read more...]