Announcing the 2023 Artist Trust Fellowship Recipients!

Published: March 7, 2023

Categories: Artists | Featured | Grants & Fellowships | Uncategorized

 

We are proud to announce the recipients of sixteen unrestricted $10,000 Fellowship Awards for Washington State artists, the most in our 36-year history! Congratulations to visual artists Sarah Barnett, Priscilla Dobler Dzul, Jacinthe Demmert, Tammie Dupuis, Reinaldo Gil Zambrano, Addison Karl, Hanako O’Leary, and Io Palmer; performing artists Amanda Morgan, William Satake Blauvelt, Jeffrey Moidel, and Jacqueline Wilson; multidisciplinary artist Olivia Thomas; and literary artists Jordan Alam, Natalie Martinez, and Jen Soriano.

Our longest running award program, the Artist Trust Fellowships are merit-based awards of $10,000 providing support to practicing professional artists of exceptional talent and ability residing in Washington State. These unrestricted awards are given annually to artists of any discipline in recognition of artistic excellence and dedication to their practice.

Prior to the pandemic, we granted an average of nine Fellowship Awards annually. This year, a total of $160,000 will reach sixteen artists across seven counties in Washington State, representing our continued work to increase support and elevate artists as community leaders that keep Washington State vibrant! 

“We are so proud to have increased funding for the Artist Trust Fellowship Awards during this time of continued economic uncertainty, and are grateful for our community’s support in making this possible. This cohort of artists across Washington State represent the incredible talent, dedication, and creativity in our communities. Congratulations to all sixteen artists!” - Artist Trust Board President Nicole Stellner 

This is the first year we are awarding The Lillian Miller Foundation Fellowship for Trans* and Indigiqueer Artists, an additional unrestricted award of $10,000 to an artist of any discipline residing in Washington State who self-identifies as trans in its most inclusive sense. This award is the result of a five-year partnership with the Lillian Miller Educational Foundation (LMF). Seattle artist Anthony White, who serves on the board of LMF states, “This five-year gift to Artist Trust will hopefully sustain and continue to build the artist population in the Pacific Northwest and shine a light on individuals and communities that far too often go unseen and under-acknowledged… who are making important and potentially impactful work, and who feel like they’ve been working in the dark for far too long.”

The first recipient of The Lillian Miller Foundation Fellowship for Trans* and Indigiqueer Artists is Priscilla Dobler Dzul. Priscilla is a Tacoma based visual artist from Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. 

“As an interdisciplinary indigiqueer storyteller, The Lillian Miller Foundation Fellowship for Trans* and Indigiqueer Artists will allow me to continue my development in my craft techniques and practices while providing me with visibility and space within a society that constantly ignores and effaces our stories and misrepresents us. This fellowship will allow me to create work that represents my culture, preservation, and heritage as an indigiqueer artist.” - Recipient Priscilla Dobler Dzul 

An independent selection panel made up of practicing artists representing a range of disciplines and practices reviewed the applications and met virtually for  two days to select the awardees. We received 366 applications from artists across Washington State, the largest-ever applicant pool for the Fellowship Awards! As part of the organization’s efforts to advance equity in its grantmaking, The Lillian Miller Foundation Fellowship for Trans* and Indigiqueer Artists led to an increase of 86% in applicants from this community.

"This Fellowship is a career saving lifeline. As an artist whose work depends heavily on live performance and interaction, and a bit of financial support, the COVID-19 Pandemic has had a devastating effect. It's good to be a fully functioning artist again. Many thanks!” -Recipient William Satake Blauvelt

Find more information about the 2023 Fellowship recipients and selection panelists below! Recipients’ biographies and work can be viewed on our website.

2023 Artist Trust Fellowship Recipients:

Artist Trust Fellowship Award for Black Artists 

Amanda Morgan (Performing, King)  

The Greg Kucera and Larry Yocom Fellowship Award 

Reinaldo Gil Zambrano (Visual, Spokane) 

The Lillian Miller Foundation Fellowship for Trans* and Indigiqueer Artists 

Priscilla Dobler Dzul (Visual, Pierce)

The Vadon Foundation Fellowship Award for Native Artists 

Jacinthe Demmert (Visual, King)

Artist Trust Fellowships  

Jordan Alam (Literary, King)  

Sarah Barnett (Visual, Whitman)  

William Satake Blauvelt (Performing, King)  

Tammie Dupuis (Visual, Kitsap)  

Addison Karl (Visual, Kitsap)  

Natalie Martinez (Literary, King)  

Jeffrey Moidel (Performing, Snohomish)  

Hanako O’Leary (Visual, King)  

Io Palmer (Visual, Whitman)  

Jen Soriano (Literary, King)  

Olivia Thomas (Performing, Pierce)  

Jacqueline Wilson (Performing, Whitman) 

2023 Fellowship Selection Panelists:

Kamari Bright, King County 

Crista Ann Ames, Kittitas County 

Rio Alberto, Spokane County 

Fabian Romero, Snohomish County 

Clyde Petersen, Skagit County 

Artist Trust’s support of artists, including the Fellowship program, is made possible thanks to donations from the community.  The 2023 Artist Trust Fellowship Awards were made possible by: The Estate of Nancy Alvord, Eve and Chap Alvord, Joan Alworth and Peter Ackroyd, Amazon Community Affairs, Artist Trust Board of Trustees, ArtsFund, ArtsWA, Shari and John Behnke, Delaney and Justin Dechant, Stephanie Ellis-Smith and Doug Smith, Helen Gamble, Katharyn Gerlich, Phyllis Hatfield, I Was Thinkin’ Fund, Mattie Iverson, Greg Kucera and Larry Yocom, Christopher and Alida Latham, The Lillian Miller Educational Foundation, The Klorfine Foundation, Mary Pigott, Raynier Institute & Foundation, Roy H. and Nancy C. Roberts Family Foundation, Jon and Mary Shirley Foundation, Jill and Rajeev Singh, The Vadon Foundation, Susan and Kenneth Wagner, Merrill Wagner Ryman, Washington State Department of Commerce, Donald and Mary Wieckowicz. Each of these extraordinary partners made an unrestricted gift of $10,000 or more to Artist Trust, or gave specifically to create a dedicated Fellowship Award. To join them, contact info@artistrust.org.   

2023 FellowshipsAwardsGrantRecipient