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Bush Artist Fellows Bush Artist Fellows Program East 900 First National Bank Building 332 Minnesota Street St. Paul, Minnesota 55101 Bush Artist Fellows Bush Artist Fellows CHOREOGRAPHY MULTIMEDIA PERFORMANCE ART Djola Branner Tony Brown Joanie Smith Robin Stiehm Morgan Thorson Marcus Young VISUAL ARTS: THREE DIMENSIONAL Norman A. Andersen Harriet Bart William Gorcica Ana Lois-Borzi VISUAL ARTS: TWO DIMENSIONAL Judale Carr Bruce Charlesworth Stacey Davidson Michael Kareken Cy Thao 2 Bush Artist Fellowships stablished in 1976, the purpose of the Bush Artist Fellowships is to provide artists with significant E financial support that enables them to further their work and their contributions to their communi- ties. An artist may use the fellowship in many ways: to engage in solitary work or reflection, for collabo- rative or community projects, or for travel or research. No two fellowships are exactly alike. Eligible artists reside in Minnesota, North and South Dakota, and western Wisconsin. Artists may apply in any of these categories: VISUAL ARTS: TWO DIMENSIONAL VISUAL ARTS: THREE DIMENSIONAL LITERATURE Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction CHOREOGRAPHY • MULTIMEDIA PERFORMANCE ART SCRIPTWORKS Playwriting and Screenwriting MUSIC COMPOSITION FILM • VIDEO Applications for all disciplines will be considered in alternating years. 3 Panels PRELIMINARY PANEL Margo Sawyer FINAL PANEL CHOREOGRAPHY Artist and Associate Professor MULTIMEDIA University of Texas at Austin Margaret Archuleta PERFORMANCE ART Austin, Texas Curator of Fine Art The Heard Museum Loris Bradley PRELIMINARY PANEL Phoenix, Arizona Managing/Performing Arts Director VISUAL ARTS: DiverseWorks TWO DIMENSIONAL Loris Bradley Houston, Texas Managing/Performing Arts Director Margaret Archuleta DiverseWorks Robbie McCauley Curator of Fine Art Houston, Texas Performance and theater artist The Heard Museum Professor, Trinity College Phoenix, Arizona Guy Goodwin West Hartford, Connecticut Artist and professor Kerry James Marshall Ohio University William Whitener Artist and professor Athens, Ohio Choreographer and Artistic Director University of Illinois Kansas City Ballet Chicago, Illinois Douglas Hollis Kansas City, Missouri Artist Jason Pollen San Francisco, California PRELIMINARY PANEL Chair of Fiber Department VISUAL ARTS: Kansas City Art Institute Jawole Willa Jo Zollar THREE DIMENSIONAL President of Surface Design Artistic Director Association Urban Bush Women Kansas City, Missouri New York, New York Douglas Hollis Professor of Dance Artist Christopher Rauschenberg Florida State University San Francisco, California Photographer and Co-director Tallahassee, Florida Blue Sky Gallery Luis Jimenez Portland, Oregon Artist Hondo, New Mexico Karen Karnes Ceramic artist Morgan, Vermont 4 Perspectives or the past 25 years, artists throughout the her community? FBush Foundation’s region have received grants Through an examination of past fellows in the amount of “time.” Most artists applying reports, interviews conducted with former fel- for and receiving support through the Bush lows, potential fellows, and panel members, and Artist Fellows program have described this artists living in other parts of the United States, financial grant in these terms. “The BAF buys time is described in a variety of ways. people time — time to step off the treadmill,” is Renewal. “This award could not have come the way one choreographer described the fellow- at a better time for me, for its arrival followed an ship. Whether it is a composer or painter living overextended and extremely busy time. I in Minnesota or a choreographer or writer living absolutely needed to take some time off for recu- in Massachusetts, individual artists of all kinds peration, and the fellowship allowed me to do living in all places require time to create — often exactly that,” wrote a composer in her final described as a precious commodity. report. It also assisted her with other more tan- Interestingly enough, in the description of gible things: resources to develop new work, the purpose of the BAF, time is not mentioned: travel, and create a rehearsal studio and office “to provide artists with significant financial sup- space in her home. port that enables them to further their work and “This quiet time was punctuated with their contributions to their communities.” Yet numerous performances, of short duration, of nearly all applicants discuss their need for time old work, and of new ideas that existed once or in the written proposal. And most fellows refer twice before the public,” wrote another fellow. to the “gift of time” in their final reports. What “These forays on the stage reminded me of how exactly does “time” mean and how does it help important it is to my spirit to perform. At the an artist to further her work and contribute to end of my Fellowship I began a flurry of build- 5 ing, which reminded me how important it is for lowship, “The BAF allowed my project to grow my hands and mind to make things. I also from a disjointed heap of emotion, opinion, hot allowed myself brief passages of time to just be tempers, and hundreds of thousands of docu- fallow. To search, meditate, and attempt some ments, into a well-organized book with a defi- deep clarity. To take the time to allow the old to nite end in sight. Since the grant entered my dissolve and the new to precipitate.” Renewal life, I was able to immerse myself in the work. for this performance artist came from multiple Finally able to explore completely the multi- avenues — time to create, time to work, time to faceted, multi-layered story, I recognized weak- reflect. nesses in my original outlines and attempted Focus. While some describe the need to chapters.” stop and think, others, like this visual artist, have Exploration. “I find myself moving in used the fellowship as an opportunity to lead a directions I hadn’t considered, working in ways more directed period of work. “The BAF that I hadn’t imagined,” wrote a videomaker in allowed me to go to the studio and work unin- one of her quarterly interim reports. Sometimes terrupted without the pressure of an end-prod- the desire to explore is purposeful, but just as uct, an exhibition, or commission. The BAF often exploration can be a surprise. Time to allowed me to spend time with my family. It was “play” within one’s métier often leads to stronger a human and humane and creative experience. creative directions and new discoveries. The BAF gave me R&D time — a chance to Personal and Professional Development. “It stretch and expand.” is vitally important that artists develop an infra- A sense of focus can also come about structure to support themselves. I am trying to through total immersion. According to a South put energy into activities that will have an effect Dakota writer who had a specific goal for her fel- after the grant period. It’s like starting a busi- 6 ness. Artists will gain freedom by controlling the what I may be trying to say through music as a means of their production and building an infra- composer.” In a 1995 evaluation of the Bush structure to support themselves. Some artists, Artist Fellows Program, most fellows who were like myself, will take over every opportunity interviewed for the study mentioned the boost (and every bit of grant money) to create this of affirmation and self-confidence repeatedly as kind of environment for themselves no matter a benefit of the program. what.” Artists by their very nature are entrepre- While an artist’s self-confidence can be neurs. Some face this potential within them- strengthened by recognition by his peers, the selves in a very direct, “practical” way by creating deepest and most important boost of personal long-term infrastructure, as is the case with this assurance must come from within. That may choreographer and performance artist. Others not come until day-to-day pressures are reduced invest in skills development and as many sup- and the artist has the time to reflect on his port their promotional efforts. accomplishments and understand his work more Self Confidence. “When I entered the fel- completely. This kind of insight often frees the lowship period I was questioning my work as a artist to strengthen his work by challenging and composer, questioning my style, and question- testing what feels comfortable. ing my method of operation. When I finished “As my confidence grows so does my will- my fellowship I found I have, for the most part, ingness to realize my personal aesthetic. I have answered many of the questions that initially come to realize that, largely without my knowl- plagued me. I am much more confident of the edge, I have become a leader in my field over the direction that I’m going as a composer, and am past five years. I know that my experience as a beginning to see my work, not simply as this Bush Fellow has added immeasurably in this project, but more as a body of works, a gestalt of respect. It has given me the time to think deeply 7 about what I am doing and this has made me This announcement of the 2000 fellows marks the Bush Artist Fellowship’s 25th anniversary. In that time the program has aware of my own potential.” granted 324 fellowships to 293 different artists. Initially visual Resources in the amount of time, money, and literary artists were invited to apply; today the categories have increased to also include film and video makers, com- and material items do not usually significantly posers, playwrights and screenwriters, choreographers, perfor- change a life or a career, but they might alter the mance artists, and multimedia artists. The 15 fellows for 2000 will each receive $40,000 for a 12- to 18-month period, up way an artist works, sees herself, and approaches from the $12,000 combined stipend and production fund that her life and career.

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