Artist Trust Announces Marita Dingus as the 2018 Irving and Yvonne Twining Humber Award Recipient

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May 29, 2018 – Artist Trust awards the 2018 Irving and Yvonne Twining Humber Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement to Marita Dingus of Auburn, Washington. The Twining Humber Award is an unrestricted award of $10,000 given annually to a Washington State self-identified woman visual artist, age 60 or over, who has dedicated 25 years or more to creating art. The award is made possible by a generous gift to the Artist Trust Endowment Fund by Yvonne Twining Humber.

“Being recognized, being told you matter, that the art you create matters, is a life affirming honor. Especially when my art isn’t exactly mainstream and not everybody gets it. Thank you Artist Trust for being a reliable source of support for artists in the Pacific Northwest,” said Marita Dingus, 2018 Twining Humber Award recipient.

Marita Dingus was born and raised in Seattle. She attended Temple University’s Tyler School of Art and studied abroad in Rome. After earning her BFA, She enrolled in a study abroad program in Morocco. This first-hand exposure to African art changed her focus from painting to sculpture at San Jose State, where she earned her MFA. Marita later completed Seattle Art Museum’s African Art training program. Whenever she can she visits the Caribbean, Africa, and South America to harvest inspiration and ideas that can be incorporated into her art.

“We are thrilled to be honoring such an accomplished artist as Marita Dingus, who is so deserving of not just financial support but recognition for the commitment she has made to her artistic endeavor,” said Artist Trust CEO Shannon Halberstadt. “We are thankful to the artist Yvonne Twining Humber, whose legacy gift to Artist Trust supports artists in perpetuity with this annual award.”

An artist herself, Yvonne Twining Humber (1907-2004) was fully aware of the obstacles and struggles that women artists must overcome in order to pursue their artistic ambitions. In 2001, she established the Twining Humber Award through the Artist Trust Endowment Fund to recognize the artistic excellence, professional accomplishment, and longstanding dedication to the visual arts of female-identified visual artists in Washington.

“Yvonne Twining Humber’s intent was to acknowledge the demands of artistic commitment, and honor the perseverance needed to create excellent works of art decade after decade. It is deeply rewarding to see the impact of this award on mature women artists. This year’s award to deserving artist Marita Dingus demonstrates again how one artist’s continuing legacy helps other artists through meaningful acknowledgment and financial support,” said Claudia Bach, Executor of Yvonne Twining Humber’s Estate.

Artist Trust received 37 applications for consideration of the 2018 Twining Humber Award. The applications were reviewed by a panel of visual artists working in various media and practices.

2018 Twining Humber Award Panelists
Jasmine Iona Brown, artist, Tacoma
Allison Hyde, artist and City of Auburn Arts Coordinator, Tacoma
Rafael Soldi, artist and co-founder of Strange Fire Collective, Seattle

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