This month, the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation* announced the awards of its very prestigious, much-coveted Guggenheim Fellowships. It gave the laurel to 180 people, including 20 in the “Fine Arts” — aka visual arts — category (plus more in photography and dance/performance art). I got to wondering, who are the winners? And what kind of work is being chosen for support?
One image can never portray the work of an artist. But there is a limit to how much time you’ll spend here, so here’s a look at one or two works per artist — a teaser, so to speak — plus links to their websites or galleries for further viewing:
–Michael Ashkin,
of Ithaca,
N.Y., is Director of Graduate Studies and an Assistant Professor in Cornell’s Department of Art whose work has been shown at Andrea Rosen Gallery. Right is Prison ( No. 3), from 2008. You can view more works of his works on his website.
–Dike Blair, of New York, is an adjunct professor at the Rhode Island School of Design. Here are two untitled gouaches from 2008, and there’s more at his website.
–Nancy Chunn, of New York, is a painting teacher at the School of
Visual Arts. Below is Chicken Little and the Culture of Fear, Scene 1 [The Garden], 2004 (Courtesy Ronald Feldman Gallery).
–Margaret Cogswell, of New York, is a program officer
for Visual Arts at the Asian Cultural Council. Here is her website, and at right is Mississippi River Fugues, 2008 (Photo credit: Dennis Crowley).
–Paul Laffoley, of Boston, is
the founder of Boston Visionary Cell, Inc. He shows at Kent Gallery. The World Soul of Plotinus, 2001, is at right (Courtesy Kent Gallery).
–Medrie MacPhee,
of New York, is an artist-in-residence at Bard College. Here’s her website, and at left is Bridge to Yellow, 2008.
–Lenore Malen, of New
York, is on the faculty of the fine arts program at Parsons The New School for Design. At right is a still from a performance piece — Harmony As A Hive, 2008, with Kathryn Alexander and Todd Erickson. And here’s her website.
–Shirley Tse, of Los Angeles,
is on the faculty at California Institute of the Arts. At left is Sink Like A Submarine, 2006. See more of her works here.
–Faith Wilding, of
Chicago, is a professor of performance art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her website is here, and at right is a still from a piece called Can You See Us Now?, 2004-2005.
I’ll continue this soon.
* Disclosure: I consult to a foundation that supports the Guggenheim Foundation, but has no influence on the selection of fellows.