February 01, 2005
Illinois Arts Council Faculty, staff members win fellowships
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- A young poet, a pair of musical composers and a visual artist - all of whom also belong to the Southern Illinois University Carbondale faculty and staff - are among 49 accomplished creators to win 2005 Artists Fellowship Awards.
The Illinois Arts Council bestows the fellowships, which carry $7,000 stipends.
Honors go to:
• Poet David R. Bond, also a technical assistant in the Library Affairs department at Morris Library. He earned a master of fine arts degree in the University’s acclaimed English department.
• Musical composer Eric P. Mandat, who writes for and performs on clarinet and is a professor in the School of Music.
•Composer and musician Frank L. Stemper, who pens off- beat music for orchestras and ensembles. He directs the University’s Center for Experimental Music and is director of the School of Music’s graduate studies program where he is a full professor.
• Christopher A. Wildrick, assistant professor, who teaches studio classes in the School of Art and Design. Areas of expertise include artistic performances, installations, posters, videos, minibooks and interactive art projects.
The Fellowship Program offers funding for 12 artistic disciplines on a two-year rotating cycle. This year’s recipients were selected from 845 creative artists working in the areas of interdisciplinary/computer art, music composition, photography, poetry and visual arts.
Panels of artists from around the country judged the statewide competition. Criteria include outstanding work and commitment to the arts.
Celebrating faculty achievements is among the goals of Southern at 150: Building Excellence Through Commitment, a long-range blueprint the University is following as it approaches its 150th anniversary in 2019.