Two Southeast Alaskans were among the four recipients of this year’s Connie Boochever Fellowship: photographer John Hagen of Haines and filmmaker Ellen Frankenstein of Sitka.
The fellowships were announced last week along with the Alaska Literary Awards by the Alaska Arts and Culture Foundation, in partnership with the Alaska State Council on the Arts.
Connie Boochever Artist Fellowships were also awarded to Enzina Marrari of Anchorage (multi-media), and Austin Parkhill of Homer (painting). The four Alaska artists, selected from a pool of 52 applications, will each receive $2,500 fellowships.
The purpose of the Connie Boochever Artist Fellowship is to recognize and support Alaska emerging artists of exceptional talent. The Connie Boochever Fellowship was established “to honor and reflect the spirited passion of the arts Mrs. Boochever consistently demonstrated, and to further the message she championed throughout her life: That the arts are important to the citizens of Alaska and worthy of significant support from individuals, businesses and corporations,” according to a release.
The Alaska Literary Awards, also announced last week, were given to: Christine Byl of Healy (fiction), Alyse Knorr of Anchorage (poetry), Kyle Mellen of Fairbanks (fiction) and Jill Osier of Fairbanks (poetry), The four Alaska literary artists, selected from a pool of 47 applications, will each receive $5,000.
The Alaska Literary Awards recognize and support writers of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, playwriting, screenwriting, and mixed genres. Quality of the work submitted is the primary consideration in determining who receives the awards. The annual awards are made possible by Peggy Shumaker and Joe Usibelli through their donation to the Alaska Arts and Culture Foundation administered by the Alaska State Council on the Arts.
For more information about the recipients of the 2015 Alaska Literary Awards and the 2015 Connie Boochever Fellows, contact the Alaska State Council on the Arts at 1-888-278-7424.
