NEWS

JULY 01, 2020

JOY PRIEST AWARDED 2020 STANLEY KUNITZ MEMORIAL PRIZE

The American Poetry Review has just announced that Joy Priest (Writing Fellow 2019-2020) has been awarded the 2020 Stanley Kunitz Memorial Prize for her poem “A Personal History of Breathing.” The Stanley Kunitz Memorial Prize awards $1,000 and publication of the winning poem to a poet under 40 years of age in honor of the late Stanley Kunitz’s dedication to mentoring poets. Stanley Kunitz was one of the Founders of the Fine Arts Work Center.

JUNE 30, 2020

“I AM DELIBERATE AND AFRAID/ OF NOTHING: POETRY & PROTEST” – FEATURING POET TYEHIMBA JESS

The Mayo Performing Arts Center, Arts in the Community, presents in collaboration with Dodge Poetry Program – “I am deliberate and afraid/ of nothing: Poetry & Protest,” featuring Pulitzer Prize winning poet Tyehimba Jess (Writing Fellow 2004-2005) with Marina Carreira, J.C. Todd, Vincent Toro and Rashad Wright. This event was originally scheduled to take place on March 19 but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In light of recent current events, poetry becomes all the more relevant and powerful. These poets speak to issues of people of color, disenfranchisement, as well as hope.

JUNE 29, 2020

CLEOPATRA MATHIS’ NEW BOOK, "AFTER THE BODY: POEMS NEW AND SELECTED" TO BE RELEASED ON JULY 7

After The Body: Poems New And Selected, a new book of poetry by Cleopatra Mathis (Writing Fellow 1981-1982), will be published by Sarabande Books – a small nonprofit literary press that champions poetry, fiction, and essay and is committed to creating lasting editions that honor exceptional writing. Mathis’ book can be ordered through the Sarabande website.

JUNE 25, 2020

DUANE SLICK AT ALBERT MEROLA GALLERY

“Arias for a Coyote Opera,” a solo exhibition at the Albert Merola Gallery in Provincetown, features new works from artist Duane Slick (Visual Arts Fellow 1991-1992 and 1990-1991). The exhibition runs from June 26 – July 15, 2020. In addition to showcasing Slick’s beautiful images, the gallery website also links to a video walkthrough of the exhibition. Image: Coyote’s Return, 2020, acrylic on panel, 14” x 11”

JUNE 25, 2020

JENNIFER TSENG, EMILY SHELTON & KELLE GROOM AWARDED 2020 ARTIST FELLOWSHIPS

Jennifer Tseng – Poetry (Writing Fellow 2001-2002 and 2000-2001), Emily Shelton – Fiction (Writing Fellow 2003-2004) and Kelle Groom – Creative Nonfiction (Fine Arts Work Center Director of Education Programs) – have just been awarded 2020 Artist Fellowships from the Mass Cultural Council. These Fellowships recognize exceptional work by Massachusetts artists across a range of disciplines, catalyze artistic advancement and pave the way for creative innovation of enduring cultural value. Poet and fiction writer Tseng is the author of The Passion of Woo & Isolde, Mayumi and the Sea of Happiness and three award-winning collections of poetry – The Man With My Face, Red Flower, White Flower and Not so dear Jenny. Shelton‘s fiction has appeared in Chicago Review, Kenyon Review, Quarterly West and Seneca Review, among other journals – she is currently working on a novel. Groom is the author of a memoir, I Wore the Ocean in the Shape of a Girl and four books of poetry including Underwater, Luckily, Five Kingdoms and most recently, Spill.

JUNE 24, 2020

FARM PROJECTS PRESENTS “TIME BEING/S” – A SOLO EXHIBITION BY BERT YARBOROUGH

farm PROJECTS in Wellfleet, MA will be featuring a new exhibition by master painter Bert Yarborough (Visual Arts Fellow 1977-1978 and 1976-1977, and the Work Center’s Visual Arts Committee Chair). Titled, “Time Being/s,” the show presents printed matter, sculptural installation, paintings and drawings that document both human thought and spiritual application. In his installation Materia Prima: Signs and Portents, Yarborough curates a collection of painted and found objects that he describes as “an attempt to transform matter into spirit.” This tactile assortment of fragments comprises a living archive of color and movement, a record of the artist’s eye and its keen visual engagement with the physical world. The exhibition will run from July 3-19, 2020. Image: Holies, 2019, acrylic, gouache and Flash é, ink and watercolor on 2 canvas panels, 20″ x 16″ each.

JUNE 24, 2020

VICKY TOMAYKO SHOWS NEW WORKS IN “PROXIMATE” – A GROUP EXHIBITION AT SCHOOLHOUSE GALLERY

Vicky Tomayko (Visual Arts Fellow 1985-1986 and the Work Center’s Print Studio Manager) will be sharing new work in an upcoming group exhibition called “Proximate” at the Schoolhouse Gallery in Provincetown. Vicky states, “As an artist in the world I am attempting to pay attention. The works are not political or social in nature but they are filtered through observation, reflection, and sensitivity towards all that is happening. They are intended to help in finding a way forward that includes a celebration of nature. The images I create are not perfect, not completely joyful. They approximate reality.” The exhibition will run from July 3-19, 2020. There will be an Instagram Live Walkthrough on Friday, July 3, 2020 at 7PM. Image: Mother Tongue, 2020, monoprint, 26″ x 20”

JUNE 22, 2020

WE REMEMBER CHRIS BUSA

The Work Center was saddened to learn of the passing of Chris Busa, a long-time friend of our organization and supporter of the arts in our Provincetown community and the Outer Cape. “Always a champion of the Work Center, Chris kindly befriended me upon my arrival at FAWC,” recalls Richard MacMillan, Executive Director. “He welcomed me into his home to talk about the Work Center, share his ideas for promoting local artists and writers, and to recount much of the history of our art community. I deeply appreciated his warmth, caring and listening. He will be deeply missed by us all.” Photo above: Renata Motherwell.

JUNE 22, 2020

VIRTUAL EVENTS AT THE WORK CENTER

Although the Work Center remains temporarily closed, the wonderful work of our creative community continues. With the postponement of the Summer Program until 2021, we are committed to staying connected with our greater Work Center community in new ways. Look for our regular communications about weekly, virtual conversations and events with many of our Fellow and faculty poets, writers and artists who will be engaging in conversations with you from their homes and studios. Image above: Pete Hocking, For My Prayer Has Always Been Love (detail), 2019, oil on panel, 36” x 36”

MAY 22, 2020

WE REMEMBER MARY ARMSTRONG

Sadly, Mary A. Armstrong (two-year Visual Arts Fellow 1979-1981) suddenly passed away on May 14, 2020. An accomplished painter, Mary had numerous exhibitions with Victoria Munroe Gallery in Boston and New York City, and the Cross Mackenzie Gallery in Washington, DC. Her most recent exhibition, Conditions of Faith, was at the McMullen Museum of Art, Boston College in 2019. According to her family, “Mary lived and did everything with a burning bright intensity. Like her gardens, her life was rich in color and alive with the love of family and dedicated friends.” Memorial contributions may be made to the Fine Arts Center in Provincetown and the Ballenglen Arts Foundation.