3ARTS ANNOUNCES THE RECIPIENTS OF
FIRST-EVER ARTIST AWARDS
SIGNATURE PROGRAM AWARDS $90,000 IN
UNRESTRICTED CASH GRANTS TO SIX CHICAGO ARTISTS
CHICAGO, IL – October 7, 2008 – 3Arts announces the six recipients of its first 3Arts Artist Awards, established to support the creative development of Chicago’s underrepresented artists— specifically women, people of color, and people with disabilities—working in the disciplines of music, theater, and visual arts. The awards were presented by the 3Arts Board of Directors in a celebratory gathering at the Chicago Cultural Center on October 6.
“3Arts recognizes the essential value of artists. We believe that dedicating our resources, and those of our donors, to Chicago’s artists is the most direct way of investing in the creative spirit of our community,” says 3Arts Board President, Cynthia West.
The 3Arts Artist Awards, the public grantmaking organization’s signature program, awards six Chicago artists $15,000 each to use according to their individual priorities with no strings attached 3Arts is proud to be one of the few local grantmaking organizations funding individual artists.
The 3Arts Artist Awards recipients were selected based on a nomination and jury process. More than 50 artists were nominated by 18 anonymous nominators who are dedicated Chicago artists, arts leaders, curators, and presenters. Three discipline-based panels of three judges each selected the award recipients from among the applicants. The judges, three local and six from out of state, are nationally recognized artists, presenters, curators, and arts leaders who convened in Chicago to make their selections.
The 2008 Judges:
Dr. Paul Freeman, Founding Music Director of the Chicago Sinfonietta (Chicago), Lee Koonce, Executive Director of Third Street Music School Settlement (New York), and Augusta Read Thomas Composer (Chicago and Boston) in the music field; Martha Lavey, Steppenwolf Theatre’s Artistic Director and Ensemble Member (Chicago); Rosalba Rolón, Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Pregones Theater (New York); and Kenneth Washington, Guthrie Theater’s Director of Company Development (Minneapolis) in the theater field; and Rehema Barber, Assistant Curator of The Amistad Center at the Wadsworth Atheneum, (Hartford), Yasmil Raymond, Walker Art Center Associate Curator, (Minneapolis), and Hamza Walker, Director of Education and Associate Curator of The Renaissance Society (Chicago) in the visual art field.
MEET THE 3ARTS ARTIST AWARD RECIPENTS:
Riva Lehrer, works on paper
Riva has been a professional artist in Chicago since 1980. Her work focuses on issues of physical identity, especially in regards to disability, and has been shown in venues including the Chicago Cultural Center, the United Nations, the Arnot Museum, the DeCordova Museum, the Frye Museum, and the Elmhurst Museum. She has been a visiting artist and lecturer across the US and Europe. A 2005 documentary about her art, “Self Preservation: The Art of Riva Lehrer,” by David Mitchell and Sharon Snyder, has been presented at numerous film festivals, won several awards, and is included in many university curricula. In 2006, she won the Wynn Newhouse Award for Artistic Excellence. She has won additional awards from the Illinois Arts Council, the University of Illinois, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Riva is currently the curator for Cultural Programs at Access Living of Chicago, and an adjunct professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
“We are honored and privileged to present the inaugural 3Arts Artist Awards to these six outstanding Chicago artists. Their exceptional work inspires us all,” says 3Arts Executive Director, Esther Grimm.
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Chicago-based 3Arts supports local artists through four program areas: Artist Awards—Supporting Artists with Unrestricted Cash Grants; Residency Fellowships—Providing Uninterrupted Time and Space for Art-making; The Vision Award—Helping Nonprofits Acknowledge Women Artists; and Special Projects—Encouraging Organizations to Shine a Spotlight on Chicago Artists. 3Arts supports the creative development of Chicago’s underrepresented artists working in music, theater, and visual arts and recognizes that art is essential to the wellbeing and vibrancy of our community.