Surendra Ullal
CHICAGO: The Illinois Arts Council Agency (IACA) has announced the 2020 Artist Fellowship Award (AFA) recipients and it is interesting to note that three of the recipients in the Ethnic and Folk Arts are of India origin
Out of the five recipients three are: Vanitha Veeravalli, Pranita Nayar and Shoba Natarajan The IACA AFAs are $15,000 awards to Illinois artists in recognition of their outstanding work and commitment within the arts. This year 17 Illinois artists will receive Fellowships totaling $255,000. Finalist Awards of $1,500 were also awarded to 18 Illinois artists for a total of $27,000. The Finalist Award category recognizes and encourages additional applicants who demonstrate considerable talent.
The Artist Fellowship Program offered funding in 6 artistic disciplines. This year’s Fellowship and Finalist Award recipients were selected from 356 Illinois based creative artists working in the disciplines of Ethnic and Folk Arts and Crafts. The Council is proud to be able to award Illinois artists with the unrestricted awards that will support their creative endeavors and artistic growth. The mission of the Illinois Arts Council Agency is “To build a strong, creative, and connected Illinois through the arts.”
The Agency recognizes that Illinois’ artists are an essential component of the social fabric of the state and its arts community especially during these challenging times. The Artist Fellowship Awardees and Finalist range in age from their 30s through their 70s, hail from 11 different communities across the state including urban, suburban, and rural communities. They represent communities from as far north as Chicago, as far southwest as Murphysboro, as far southeast as Charleston and as well as the heart of Illinois, Bloomington/Normal.
The intent of the Artist Fellowship Program is to enrich and strengthen the state of Illinois by supporting accomplished Illinois artists who are the foundation of Illinois’ creative environment. The Artist Fellowship Program recognizes exceptional artists who have created a substantial body of work throughout their career by providing awards to support continued artistic growth. The awards are non-matching Fellowships in unrestricted fixed amounts of $15,000.
To learn more about the Artist Fellowship Awards visit: http://www.arts.illinois.gov/AFA-Program
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