Arturo Alonzo Sandoval - Visual Arts Award
photo credit; John Hockensmith
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Born in 1942 in Espanola, New Mexico, Arturo Alonzo Sandoval is a fiber artist and educator known for incorporating recycled materials – including vinyl and microfilm – into his works. Despite a history of weaving on both sides of his family, Sandoval first incorporated fiber into his artistic practice in 1965 as a graduate student. He continued working in the medium with an eye towards education while completing his MFA at Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1971. Sandoval taught at several schools around the country before accepting a faculty position in the art department at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, in 1974, where he remained until his retirement. Sandoval has gained wide recognition for his experimental approach to working in fiber, receiving fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts (1973 and 1992) and the 2003 Artist Award from the Kentucky governor. His work is represented within numerous collections and museums including the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In 2007 he was elected a Fellow of the American Craft Council.
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Mike Norris - Literary Arts Award
The writings of Mike Norris are typically described as books for young people, but they are most often reviewed as "appealing to all readers from children to adults." His stories and poems are multi-layered and can be read again and again to reveal new levels of meaning and literary artistry. They have been extravagantly praised by reviewers and some of Kentucky's most illustrious writers, one of whom said, "These tales and rhymes are timeless and will be on bookshelves a hundred years from now."
Each book is a one-of-a-kind combination of inspired, imaginative rhymes and illustrations not drawn or painted, but carved by legendary Kentucky folk artist Minnie Adkins. In addition to the literary quality of the writing, Norris' wide-ranging talent is reflected in striking page design, art-quality photography of Adkins' carvings, and the composition of songs to complement each book. A Louisville Courier-Journal review described Rhymes from the Mountains as "an artistic treasure for both story and art." |
Joe Ferrell - Performance Arts Award
Joe Ferrell can best be described as the Dean of Lexington Theatre. He is an elder statesman in the craft, an expert in the field and an inspirer of generations of Central Kentucky theatre artists.
Born and raised in Montana Joe went to the University of Montana on a football/academic scholarship. No one in his family had been to college. He had an advisor in the English Department who was a Shakespeare scholar who inspired him to become an English major with Shakespeare as his focus and a minor in speech. An opportunity to be in a play opened doors for Joe that he felt had been closed all his life. He then intuitively knew theatre was what he wanted to do with his life. As an educator, director and overall mentoring force, his influence upon multiple generations of artists has to be incalculable. He has been responsible for bringing some of the finest local theatre to life from the classics to more contemporary productions. In Lexington the name Joe Ferrell and the word theatre are synonymous. |
Neil Chethik - Arts Educator Award
Neil Chethik is a published author, writing class instructor, writing mentor and - until 3/31/2022 - the Executive Director of the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning.
Since Neil joined the Center's leadership in 2011 he has expanded arts programming to include the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame. He also was the driving force behind Lexington's UNESCO Creative City of Literature application and co-founded LexLitHub, a partnership of Lexington's arts organizations with an interest in publicly promoting Kentucky's literary arts. Between 2006 and 2011 Neil served as Writer-in-Residence at the Center, teaching and coaching writers. Neil is the author of two acclaimed books and his writings have appeared in hundreds of print and web publications. In spring 2022 Neil and his family established The Chethik Family Fund to Advance Black Writers at the Carnegie Center. Now retired, Neil intends to remain involved in the literary community serving as a Carnegie tutor and writing mentor. |
Jackie Hamilton - Arts Benefactor Award
Jackie Hamilton has always been involved in the arts. As a child her mother enrolled her in dance - something she has remained interested in ever since.
Her early career in marketing and communications led to her appointment as the first Director of the UK Arts in HealthCare program. The UK Arts in HealthCare program was conceived prior to construction of the new pavilion (2011) at UK Albert B. Chandler Hospital. As a result, the art is integrated with the design of the building. Over the years Jackie held this position she was responsible for acquiring art for student dorms as well as the hospital and the satellite clinics as expansion continued. Today the collection numbers over 2,000 works of art all by Kentucky artists. Jackie would travel the state in search of work to purchase. Jackie serves on many boards, in particular The Lexington Philharmonic where her generous philanthropy has provided the funding for their artist-in-residence program. |