R2AC/McKnight Career Development Fellowships Are Awarded

Region 2 Arts Council (R2AC) recently awarded $12,000 through the R2AC/McKnight Career Development Fellowship Program. This 18-month fellowship provides the opportunity for career development experiences that will add depth and advancement to the artistic career of established artists in all disciplines. R2AC/McKnight Career Development Fellowships are funded through an appropriation from the McKnight Foundation. The recipients and information about their fellowship activities are listed below.

Alice Blessing, a local portrait painter, was awarded $6,000 to attend the Picture Book Illustration Workshop at the Maine College of Art and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Conference in New York to expand her career as a professional artist to include children’s book writing and illustration.

Dr. Beverly Everett, music director of the Bemidji Symphony Orchestra, was awarded $6,000 to learn new gestural techniques, deepen her understanding of score analysis and interpretation and gain new ideas for community outreach and programming with mentor JoAnn Fallettea, music director for the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and the Buffalo Philharmonic.

Applications for these grants are available in the Region 2 Arts Council Office, 426 Bemidji Avenue, Bemidji, MN 56601, or call the Region 2 Arts Council office at 751-5447 or 1-800-275-5447, or download the applications from our website, http//r2arts.org.