Kesler Woodward named Artist of the Year
Alaskan artist Kesler Woodward has been named the 2012 Artsmith Artist of the Year. The annual award recognizes a writer, artist, or scholar whose work we admire, and who epitomizes kindness; a person who always has time for others, who treats people and their work with the utmost respect, who listens deeply, and whose sincere thoughtfulness shows in all of his or her interactions.
A chemistry major in college, Woodward had not intended to become an artist. "When I began taking art at Davidson, I had an incredible painting teacher, Herb Jackson, who convinced me by example--in his work and in his teaching--that art was something a bright, ambitious person might spend his life trying to do. I found that drawing and painting were not so much magic talents that people did or didn't have, but that they were skills that could be learned. I discovered that creativity, desire, and hard work were much more important than so-called 'talent.'" For the next thirty-plus years, Kesler not only devoted himself to practicing his artwork, but also to teaching others to develop their own artistic skills. Admired by his colleagues for his commitment and enthusiasm as an educator and artist, Woodward exemplifies the kind of selfless generosity the Artsmith award is meant to honor.
Kesler is the second recipient of the Artsmith Artist of the Year Award. The first recipient was the poet Kevin Clark in 2011. The award grants a one-week artist residency at the Kangaroo House Bed & Breakfast on Orcas Island in Washington State. Recipients are nominated and selected by an anonymous and roving team of volunteers seeking out altruism and kindness in literature, education, and the arts.
Kesler Woodward is Professor of Art, Emeritus at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where he taught for two decades, serving as Chair of the Art Department and as Chair of the Division of Arts and Communications. Woodward’s painting are included in major public art collections, museums, corporate and private collections across the United States and internationally, including juried and invitational exhibitions from Alaska to Brazil and Russia. Also an art historian and curator, Woodward has produced eight books on Alaskan art, and lectured in the U.S. and Britain on art of the circumpolar north. His paintings and books can be found at www.keslerwoodward.com.
Enter the Summer Solstice Broadside Contest
Artsmith has partnered with Dwell Press to offer a Summer Solstice Broadside Contest. In the long tradition of marrying poetry with art, the contest seeks to showcase the words of the winning poet in a broadside produced by Dwell Press. The winning entry will be produced in a limited number edition broadside of 75 prints, 50 of which will go to the author and the remaining 25 will go to the press. An original woodcut or pen and ink polymer will be printed alongside the poem on 100% cotton paper using a 1916 Chandler and Price 10 x 15 letterpress. Remaining proceeds benefit Dwell Press. Deadline is March 31, 2012.
For complete guidelines, please visit Dwell Press.
Gail Braune Comorat wins 2012 Artsmith Literary Award
Gail Braune Comorat's poem "Summer of Ladybugs" is the winner of the 2012 Artsmith Literary Award. This year's theme, selected by Simmons Buntin, nonfiction author, eco-poet, editor of Terrain.org and this year's judge, was "It's the end of the world as we know it." Read why Buntin chose Comorat's poem, see the list of finalists and honorable mentions, and read winning entry on our Contest page.
