Awards honor Nevada artists

The Nevada Arts Council recognized 12 Nevada artists with the awarding of its Artist Fellowships for the 2010 fiscal year.

Four artists from Carson City and Carson Valley are among the recipients.

"The individual artist is the backbone of our state's creative economy," spokeswoman Susan Boskoff said. "Though our grant programs have been cut this biennium - the budget for Artist Fellowships was reduced by more than $15,000 - the Arts Council remains firmly committed to publicly recognize the level of excellence demonstrated by our community of artists."

NAC awarded five $5,000 Artist Fellowships. In addition to using the grant award to produce art during the fellowship year, each fellow provides a free public event relevant to his or her discipline, through readings, exhibitions, performances, and master classes.

The Artist Services Program, which oversees Artist Fellowships, also awarded a $500 grant to seven honorable mentions this year.

Fellowship recipients for the area are:

Literary Arts Fellowships:

William Cowee of Carson City for poetry

Robert Leonard Reid of Carson City for creative prose/non-fiction

Literary Arts Honorable Mention:

Susan Priest of Gardnerville for creative prose/non-fiction

Performing Arts Honorable Mention:

Jennie Pitts of Gardnerville for dance/choreography

The Fellowship Program recognizes Nevada's exceptional contemporary artists and supports ongoing development of their talents. During three days of public meetings held at the University of Nevada, Reno's Joe Crowley Student Union in June 2009, panelists reviewed 136 applications; 61 in literary arts, 24 in performing arts and 51 in visual arts. The NAC Board approved recommendations June 25.