Four ASU professors have been awarded fellowships by the Alabama State Council on the Arts. The council awards fellowship grants to individual artists, based on the merit of their work, career achievements, professional development and service to the state.
The council awarded more than $250,000 for arts projects statewide, including $5,000 awards to ASU’s Dr. Doug Bristol, Dr. Jacqueline Trimble, Dr. Christopher Greenman and Michael Medcalf.
According to the Arts Council news release, “fellowships are given to individual artists working in arts administration, crafts, dance, design, media/photography, music, literature, theatre and visual arts. These awards recognize artistic excellence as well as professional commitment and maturity. Recipients may use funds to set aside time to create art, improve their skills, or to do what is most advantageous to enhance their artistic careers.”
Medcalf said he plans to use the award to develop dance projects that incorporate technology and film. The grant will allow him to purchase editing software and equipment, as well as to attend conferences on dance filmmaking.
“I'm excited to receive this award, as it will support my professional experimentation and evolution in the field of dance,” said Medcalf, who is the head of ASU’s BFA Dance Program and an assistant professor of dance. “Through this gained knowledge and skill set, I will be able to hopefully inspire students at ASU to experiment in this area as well.”
Greenman, who has taught at ASU for more than 20 years, said he will use the award to advance his interest in wood firing ceramics and Asian aesthetics.
“I am very grateful to receive this award and to be among my fellow ceramic artists in the state to have received the fellowship,” said Greenman.
Bristol, also is a 20-year academic veteran at ASU, said he is honored to be a recipient of the fellowship.
“Having known some of the very talented and deserving musicians who have received past awards, I am extremely honored,” said Bristol. ”Award funds will be used to professionally record several compositions and to produce a CD with a compilation of my works. My mind is already working on how to bring this project to fruition.”
Trimble said she is amazed to have received the award, since there always are a large number of applicants. She said the award will help to defray travel expenses and registration for her to attend several prestigious workshops which she would not have been able to attend without the assistance from the Council on the Arts.
“This summer I will be working with Jericho Brown in Bemidji, Minnesota, at the Northwoods Writers Conference. Jericho Brown is a National Book Award Winner,” said Trimble. “In January, I will go to Key West, as I have been accepted into Rowan Ricardo Phillips' workshop. And I will return to Cave Canem next summer. It’s very difficult to get accepted into these workshops. Generally, they only take 12 or 13 students. I hope attending these workshops will help me finish my second book.”
Bristol, Greenman and Medcalf all are professors in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, and Trimble is the chair of the Department of Languages and Literatures in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.
Posted By: Reginald Culpepper
Monday, June 20th 2016 at 2:39PM
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