PRESS RELEASE

Friday, December 11, 2009

2010 Creative Workforce Fellows Announced

Prepared by: Community Partnership for Arts and Culture

CPAC Distributes $400,000 to Cuyahoga County Artists

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Community Partnership for Arts and Culture (CPAC) has announced 20 new Creative Workforce Fellows, each of whom will receive a $20,000 award to support their work, as well as related support services.

The 2010 Creative Workforce Fellowship was presented to 20 Cuyahoga County dance, interdisciplinary, literary, music and theatre artists; two alternates were also selected for the program. These performing and literary artists are the second group of Creative Workforce Fellows, joining the 2009 Fellows, a group of 20 craft, design, media, mixed media and visual artists.

Through the program, CPAC has distributed $810,000 and more than $15,000 in support services to Cuyahoga County artists since the program launched in January 2009.

2010 Fellows include dance artists Mikaela Clark, Dianne McIntyre and David Shimotakahara; interdisciplinary artist Robin Van Lear; literary artists Gail Bellamy, Sarah Gridley, Charles Oberndorf, Kristin Ohlson and Sarah Willis; music artists Brian Bayer, Domenico Boyagian, Neil Chastain, Ernie Krivda, Ida Mercer and Debra Nagy; and theatre artists Raymond Bobgan, Allan Byrne, Eric Coble, David Hansen and Chris Seibert. Alternates include theatre artist Robin Pease and music artist Howie Smith.

A panel of seven arts professionals from Ann Arbor, Mich.; Chicago, Ill.; Columbus, Ohio; Detroit, Mich.; Flint, Mich.; Pittsburgh, Pa.; and Tempe, Ariz. reviewed 166 applications. The group then deliberated in an 11-round open adjudication on November 23 – 24 before recommending individuals for funding.

“The high-quality nature of the applicant pool demanded a very rigorous review by the panel,” said Megan Van Voorhis, CPAC Vice President and chair of the adjudication proceedings.

“This resulted in an exceptional group of Fellows in dance, interdisciplinary arts, literature, music and theatre.”

Applications were reviewed based on quality of artistic merit and artists’ plans for use of the funds, and each application was reviewed without reference to the applicant’s name. All artists of all disciplines were eligible to apply, as long as they were at least 18 years of age and had resided in the county for two or more continuous years. Several panelists noted that the number and quality of applications were a testament to the strength of Cuyahoga County’s performing and literary arts community.

Panelist Michael Simms, editor-in-chief and founder of Pittsburgh-based Autumn House Press, shared that he was impressed by the process.

“The process ran very smoothly and a group of brilliant artists was chosen to receive grants,” noted Simms.

“A great city deserves great artists. With this program, Cleveland leaped into the front ranks of American cities.”

CPAC launched the Creative Workforce Fellowship program with a grant it received from Cuyahoga Arts and Culture (CAC), a special unit of government established to receive and distribute local tobacco excise tax revenue dedicated to arts and culture support. CAC provided CPAC funding to administer awards in both 2009 and 2010.

2009 Fellows included Amy Casey, Lawrence Channing, Bruce Checefsky, James Jubal Harris, Donald Harvey, Nina Huryn, Andrea Joki, Lori Kella, Douglas Lucak, Julius Lyles, Valerie Mayén, Nancy McEntee, Michael Mikula, Michelle Muldrow, Angela Oster, Laura Paglin, Seth Rosenberg, Charmaine Spencer, Mark Sudduth and Olga Ziemska. 2009 Alternates included Melissa Daubert and Michael Ina.

CPAC, a Cleveland-based nonprofit organization, works to improve the lives of all Northeast Ohioans by ensuring the artistic and economic success of greater Cleveland’s arts and culture community.

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