Every other year the Kentucky Arts Council offers visual and media artists an opportunity to compete for the Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowship awards. Before the panel of jurors reviews the work, the public, along with arts consultants, artist representatives, curators and gallery owners, will have the opportunity to view projected digital images of the work by each of the 132 visual arts applicants. There are also 11 media arts applicants; however their work will not be available for public review. The screening will begin at 4:00 p.m., April 14, 2009 at the Lexington Public Library, 140 East Main Street, Lexington, Ky.

Professional artists in visual arts and media arts are eligible to apply for the highly competitive program that honors selected artists with a Fellowship Award of $7,500 to each recipient. Emerging artists, which includes early-career, professional artists who are Kentucky resident undergraduate seniors and graduate students in Kentucky college or university fine arts programs are also competing for an Emerging Artist award of $1,000 as part of the Kentucky Arts Council’s Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowship program. The results of the competition will be announced in early July 2009.

The purpose of the Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowship Program is to support Kentucky artists engaged in creating artwork of high quality and to recognize the creative excellence of practicing, professional Kentucky artists. The fellowship awards are named after retired Kentucky journalist and past arts council board chair, Al Smith.

The Fellowship program utilizes a “blind jurying” process which does not provide the selection panel with applicants’ names; the independent panel of out-of-state jurors reviews the work samples and applications according to application numbers only. Criteria for the awards include artistic excellence, professional achievement and the potential of the fellowship award to enhance the artist’s development and encourage the continuation of the artist’s work.

The Kentucky Arts Council is a state agency in the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet that creates opportunities for Kentuckians to value, participate in and benefit from the arts. Kentucky Arts Council funding is provided by the Kentucky General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.

Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowship Applicants in Visual Arts

Barren

• Jane Ward Kehrt, Glasgow – Painting

Boone

• Oliver Meinerding, Florence – Painting

Bourbon

• Frosty Rankin, Millersburg – Painting

Boyle

• Sheldon Tapley, Danville – Painting

Breckinridge

• Don Lawler, Stephensport – Sculpture

Calloway

• Sarah Gutwirth, New Concord – Painting
• Wyatt Severs, Murray – Visual Arts

Campbell

• Matthew Albritton, Dayton – Photography
• Kelly Asbury, Cold Spring – Painting
• Ken Buck, Highland Heights – Painting
• Anita Douthat, Alexandria – Photography
• Barbara Houghton, Alexandria – Photography
• Earl Plowman, Bellevue – Visual Arts

Cumberland

• Bill Guffey, Burkesville – Painting

Daviess

• Bill Kolok, Owensboro – Sculpture

Edmonson

• Myra Dwyer, Smiths Grove – Painting

Fayette

• Philis Alvic, Lexington – Crafts-Fiber
• Don Ament, Lexington – Photography
• Lucinda Chapman, Lexington – Painting
• Joel Feldman, Lexington – Visual Arts
• Kurt Gohde, Lexington – Visual Arts-Experimental
• Nori Hall, Lexington – Photography
• Philip High, Lexington – Painting
• Diane Kahlo, Lexington – Painting
• Cynthia Kelly, Lexington – Painting
• John Lackey, Lexington – Painting
• Lori Larusso, Lexington – Painting
• Rodney Lindauer, Lexington – Sculpture
• Marco Logsdon, Lexington – Painting
• Marianna McDonald, Lexington – Visual Arts
• Guy Mendes, Lexington – Photography
• Laura Mentor, Lexington – Crafts-Glass
• Erica Meuser, Lexington – Graphics
• Lennon Michalski, Lexington – Painting
• Robert Morgan, Lexington – Visual Arts
• Wendell Perry, Lexington – Graphics
• Monica Pipia, Lexington – Painting
• Jill Plaisted, Lexington – Graphics
• Mary Rezny, Lexington – Photography
• Keith Spears III, Lexington – Sculpture
• Karen Springate, Lexington – Painting
• Helene Steene, Lexington – Painting
• George Szekely, Lexington – Painting
• Felicia Szorad, Lexington – Crafts-Metal 
• Lawrence Tarpey, Lexington – Painting
• Robert Tharsing, Lexington – Painting
• Ann Tower, Lexington – Painting
• Clay Wainscott, Lexington – Visual Arts

Franklin

• Jennifer Zingg, Frankfort – Sculpture

Henry

• Reba Rye, Lockport – Visual Arts-Experimental

Jackson

• Jack Fifield, McKee – Visual Arts

Jefferson

• Ann Adamek, Louisville – Painting
• Erin Behling, Louisville – Sculpture
• Ashley Brossart, Louisville – Painting
• Vennita Cantrell, Louisville – Visual Arts
• Geoff Carr, Louisville – Photography
• James Caudill, Louisville – Sculpture
• Ashley Cecil, Louisville – Painting
• Diane Deaton-Street, Louisville – Photography
• Lynn Dunbar, Louisville – Painting
• Mitch Eckert, Louisville – Visual Arts-Experimental
• Denise Furnish, Louisville – Painting
• Daniel Gimbel, Louisville – Sculpture
• Lida Gordon, Louisville – Sculpture
• Albertus Gorman, Louisville – Visual Arts-Experimental
• Wyatt Gragg, Prospect – Sculpture
• Dominic Guarnaschelli, Louisville – Visual Arts-Experimental
• Robert Halliday, Louisville – Visual Arts-Experimental
• Kenneth Hayden, Louisville – Painting
• Robert Higgins, Louisville – Painting
• Shayne Hull, Louisville – Visual Arts
• Janis Kirstein, Louisville – Painting
• Bruce Linn, Louisville – Painting
• Debra Lott, Louisville – Painting
• Sarah Lyon, Louisville – Photography
• Joshua Mather, Louisville – Sculpture
• Mary Jo McDonald, Louisville – Painting
• Robert Mitchell, Louisville – Photography
• Mary Newton, Louisville – Painting
• Michael O’Bannon, Louisville – Painting
• Cean Peevey-Rosenthal, Louisville – Visual Arts
• Mark Priest, Louisville – Painting
• Clair Raabe, Louisville – Crafts-Glass
• Molly Rucks, Louisville – Photography
• Christopher Rudasill, Louisville – Painting
• Rachel Seed, Louisville – Visual Arts
• Roxann Slate, Louisville – Crafts-Glass
• Deborah Thomas, Louisville – Visual Arts
• Matthew Weir, Louisville – Sculpture
• Sharon Weis, Louisville – Painting
• Brad White, Louisville – Sculpture
• Michael Winters, Louisville – Photography
• Brenda Wirth, Louisville – Visual Arts

Jessamine

• Laura O’Neal Segre-Lewis, Wilmore – Painting
• Christopher Segre-Lewis, Wilmore – Painting

Kenton

• Collin Taylor, Latonia – Crafts-Clay

Knott

• John Haywood, Litt Carr – Painting

Madison

• Crimson Duvall, Richmond – Sculpture
• Tina Gebhart, Berea – Crafts-Clay
• Darryl Halbrooks, Richmond – Sculpture
• Esther Randall, Berea – Sculpture
• Jeannette Rowlett, Berea – Visual Arts
• Brandon Smith, Richmond – Painting
• Jennifer Zurick, Berea – Crafts-Fiber
• David Zurick, Berea – Visual Arts

McCracken

• Elise Beattie, Paducah – Painting
• C. Todd Birdsong, Paducah – Photography
• Stefanie Graves, Paducah – Painting
• Paul Lorenz, Paducah – Painting
• Deb Lyons, Paducah – Painting
• Teri Moore, Paducah – Visual Arts
• Michael Summers, Paducah – Graphics

Mercer

• Jennifer Bacon, Harrodsburg – Painting
• Kathleen O’Brien, Harrodsburg – Graphics

Morgan

• Dean Hill, West Liberty – Photography

Nicholas

• Arwen Donahue, Carlisle – Graphics

Oldham

• Amanda Matthews Fields, Pewee Valley – Sculpture

Owen

• Greg Seigel, Owenton – Visual Arts

Pulaski

• David Cazalet, Somerset – Painting
• Dan Dutton, Somerset – Visual Arts-Experimental

Rowan

• Kira Campbell, Morehead – Sculpture
• Elizabeth Mesa-Gaido, Morehead – Sculpture
• Jeffrey Nichols, Morehead – Crafts-Clay

Scott

• Boris Zakic, Georgetown – Painting

Warren

• Tallon Chalmers, Bowling Green – Visual Arts-Experimental
• Ronnie Jaggers, Bowling Green – Visual Arts
• David Marquez, Bowling Green – Sculpture
• Michael Nichols, Bowling Green – Painting
• John Oakes, Bowling Green – Painting

Woodford

• Ronald Davis, Midway – Graphics
• Ben Durham, Midway – Visual Arts
• Guy Kemper, Versailles – Painting

Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowship Applicants in Media Arts 

Campbell

• Leland Schuler, Newport – Video

Fayette

• Louis Guida, Lexington – Video
• Jeff Jones, Lexington – Film
• Dmitry Strakovsky, Lexington – Video
• Michael White, Lexington – Video

Franklin

• Wilson Bessinger, Frankfort – Video

Jefferson

• Joe Gray, Middletown – Video
• Richard Straw, Louisville – Film
• Patrick Yen, Louisville – Film

Letcher

• Nicholas Szuberla, Whitesburg – Video

Muhlenberg

• Jeremy Browning, Central City – Audio