Amy Meissner, textile artist
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Rasmuson Foundation Project Award

5/19/2017

3 Comments

 
Amy Meissner, textile artist. | From the post Rasmuson Foundation Project Award | www.amymeissner.com/blog/rasmuson-foundation-project-award

As an artist living in Alaska, I face some challenges.
  • Weather.
  • Moose on the road.
  • Sodden snow gear and missing gloves. Finding moldy missing gloves.
  • Red-eye flights in and out of Anchorage.
  • A mild insinuation that this distance from major art hubs will keep me from entering their realm. 
  • Sucking it up for shipping expenses and insurance, because that time I cheaped out, I got burned by an agent with an overzealous box cutter.
  • Accepting that local options for commercial fabrics include Jo-Ann Fabrics and a handful of quilt shops (and while the latter offer lovely items, I'm not currently inspired to work with them, maybe later, but Jo-Ann F., you can take a hike. Unless I need polar fleece or interfacing or embroidery floss or nylon webbing or serger thread or stickers or 90% off Halloween decorations or cinnamon-scented-headache-inducing imported pinecones, in which case you're back in the game).
Amy Meissner, textile artist. | From the post Rasmuson Foundation Project Award | www.amymeissner.com/blog/rasmuson-foundation-project-award
Alaska Dispatch News, Friday May 12, 2017.
But. As an Alaskan of over 16 years, I consider myself one among a resilient, capable, hearty -- sometimes a little scrappy -- population, solving problems with duct tape and slip knots and a freezer full of moose meat and last year's salmon. We're those people who, when told they can't do something, go god-damned do it anyway. Sometimes with a back hoe.
​
  • Distance can be bridged through the internet, and an acceptance that 4:30 am Alaska time is 8:30 am eastern standard.
  • Shipping can be budgeted for and smarter decisions can and should be made regarding where to exhibit and how often.
  • Materials can and should be considered differently, sustainably. The fabric I love most continues to come to me through generous donations of vintage linens from all over the world and cut up thrift store finds. And sometimes I suck it up and order online from New York. 
  • Moldy gloves require bleach.
​
But I'll tell you right now, all scrappiness aside, what sets the tone for art and artists in Alaska is the class act support of the Rasmuson Foundation. In 2016, they awarded $14.6 million dollars in grants spread across various programs -- from environment and research, to arts, culture, humanities and organizational development.

​(You can learn more about the history of the Rasmuson Foundation here.)
​
Amy Meissner, textile artist. | From the post Rasmuson Foundation Project Award | www.amymeissner.com/blog/rasmuson-foundation-project-award
Maria Shell (Fellowship), Amy Meissner (Project Award), Beth Blankenship (Fellowship).

In your artistic search for nation-wide grant opportunities, perhaps you've noticed there aren't many individual artist awards out there, and this is a shame. Because we need them. Not because we're lazy, or don't want to work (do you know any artists who don't work their asses off?) or because we're asking for a hand out. We need support for the same reason artists for centuries have needed support -- because there is rarely a price appropriate for creativity, and it's easier to breathe when someone's hand is resting on your shoulder. 
​
Amy Meissner, textile artist. | From the post Rasmuson Foundation Project Award | www.amymeissner.com/blog/rasmuson-foundation-project-award
Amy Meissner, textile artist. | From the post Rasmuson Foundation Project Award | www.amymeissner.com/blog/rasmuson-foundation-project-award
Amy Meissner, textile artist. | From the post Rasmuson Foundation Project Award | www.amymeissner.com/blog/rasmuson-foundation-project-award

This year, 450 Alaskan artists applied for this type of individual artist award through the Rasmuson Foundation and 35 artists received them. I'm beyond honored to say I was one of those artists, receiving a $7500 Individual Artist Project Award in support of the Inheritance Project. This year's $18,000 Fellowships fell into the disciplinary categories of Choreography, Crafts, Folk & Traditional Arts, Literary Arts/Scriptworks & Performance Art. While a number of good friends received Fellowships (and Project Awards, too), I was thrilled three of us happened to also be members of Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA). This trio includes Maria Shell and Beth Blankenship and me.

Amy Meissner, textile artist. | From the post Rasmuson Foundation Project Award | www.amymeissner.com/blog/rasmuson-foundation-project-award

So, not only were we honored for our work as artists, we were honored for work as textile artists. 

I'm incredibly grateful and blown away by the support I've received for the Inheritance Project -- strangers, friends, the Anchorage Museum, the Alaska State Museum, the Sustainable Arts Foundation and now the Rasmuson Foundation. That's a lot of skin in the game for something that didn't exist 2 years ago.

No pressure.

Breathe easier.

​Now work.

Elsewhere on this blog.

One year ago: The fallen
Two years ago: The traveling eye 8: Fool's Gold

And, hey.

I sent my first newsletter in mid April and the second on May 22. If you've subscribed and didn't receive these, please check your spam/clutter folder and allow contact@amymeissner.com so next month's news will come to your inbox. Thanks!

3 Comments
Nan Jacobson
5/24/2017 10:26:22 am

Amy,

I just signed up for your newsletter. I'm not sure how I missed this, but I'll claim brain fade and leave it at that. Is there a link to back issues of your newsletters? If not, would you be able to spare a minute to send them to me? Whenever you have time....no rush, just whenever! Congratulations on your much deserved grant award. I look forward to your upcoming work. It's touching, thought provoking, and just plain interesting.

Thanks in advance.

Nan

Reply
Amy Meissner link
5/24/2017 10:33:57 am

Hi Nan! Luckily, I've only sent out two newsletters: April '17 and May '17...it took me a while to get rolling on that task. I'll forward you the newsletters and in the meantime, make sure you allow "contact@amymeissner.com" into your inbox, or the regular monthly newsletters may end up in spam/clutter. Always great to hear from you!
XO
Amy

Reply
Lynn Rogers
5/25/2017 04:01:37 am

Congratulations Amy! Well deserved and so great to have more SAQA members getting recognized for great work.

Reply



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    The collision of history, 
    family and art, with the understanding that none exists without the other.
    Amy Meissner, textile artist. Photo credit Brian Adams, 2013. www.amymeissner.com

    Amy Meissner

    Textile artist & memoirist living & working in
    Anchorage, Alaska.

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