RACC Press Releases
December 7, 2004
Regional Arts & Culture Council
Awards Fellowships to
Chel White and Craig Lesley
The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) has announced this year’s
Artist’s Fellowship Awards. The Media Arts award goes to filmmaker Chel
White and the Literary award goes to writer Craig Lesley.
These fellowships, which are presented to local artists of high merit in rotating
disciplines each year, carry a cash award of $20,000 each.
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| Chel White, filmmaker |
Chel White is a provocative, skilled filmmaker. His intense,
20+ years involvement with film has produced a broad spectrum of outstanding
visual style and narrative content. Chel is a true craftsman with his camera
work, which was described by members of the Fellowship Panel as "gutsy,"
"aesthetically compelling," and "brilliant." Chel’s
commitment to live and produce work in Portland has brought attention to the
region, and has leveraged other projects that have created work for other local
filmmakers and artists. Chel is a strong mentor figure to young filmmakers and
fellow artists.
With the Fellowship funds, Chel plans to make a 90-minute experimental, narrative
film, entitled The Strongest Boy in the World. The RACC Fellowship will enable
Chel to devote serious time and energy to completing the original screenplay,
casting the roles, scouting locations and ultimately shooting the film.
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| Craig Lesley, writer |
Craig Lesley is a talented storyteller who creates powerful,
authentic characters in his work. "He truly knows the people and places
he is writing about," stated one Fellowship Panelist. Craig writes with
a confident, lively and interesting prose style, grappling with profound issues
on a personal and political level. Through his years of teaching, publishing
and mentoring, Craig has devoted much of his life to the literary community
of this region and beyond. He currently serves as the Senior Writer-in-Residence
in the English Department at Portland State University.
With the Fellowship funds, Craig will dedicate time to write a creative non-fiction
work based on his twelve years as a foster parent to a Native American boy with
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). The new work will discuss the relationship with
his foster son and how it led him to seek out his own father. Additionally,
Craig would like to raise public awareness of FAS prevention both on and off
Northwest reservations.
The RACC Artists Fellowship Award was established in 1999 as part of ArtsPlan
2000+ which recommended that the community recognize the value of some of the
region’s most accomplished artists. To apply, professional artists must
have worked in their field for 10 years and have lived in the Portland tri-county
area for five.
Applications, which include three narrative questions, two letters of recommendation,
and examples of the artist’s work, are reviewed through a lengthy panel
process of community representatives from each discipline being honored. Serving
as Media Arts Panelists this year were Steve Amen, Jim Blashfield, Eve Epstein,
Michael Gandsey, Todd Kurtzman, Ketzel Levine, Richard Moore, David Shulman
(from Seattle), Irene Taylor, Robyn Tenebaum, and Ellen Thomas. The Literary
Arts Panelists were Mary Kay Dalgreen, Brian Doyle, Virginia Euwer-Wolff, Michele
Glazer, Elizabeth Grossman, Ruth Gundle, Christopher Howell (of Spokane, Washington),
Chet Orloff, Charles Seluzicki, Patricia Staton-Thomas, and Lisa Steinman.
"It is truly an honor to recognize the craft of Chel White and Craig Lesley,"
stated Eloise Damrosch, Executive Director of RACC, "and to bestow this
award on two people who have contributed so much to our community." Lesley
and White will be officially honored at a private luncheon in January.
Artists who have received this prestigious award in past include:
1999, Performing Arts – Obo Addy and Mary Oslund
2000, Visual Arts – Terry Toedtemeier and Christine Bourdette
2001, Literary & Media Arts – Michele Glazer and Jim Blashfield
2002, Performing Arts – Tomas Svoboda and Keith Scales
2003, Visual Arts – Michael Brophy and Judy Cooke
Next year, Performing Arts will be the honored discipline. Applications
will be available on RACC’s website after January 10, 2005, and will be
due April 4. Visit www.racc.org/grants
for more information.
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RACC Staff to Contact
Jeff Hawthorne
Director of Community Affairs
503.823.5258
jhawthorne@racc.org
Mary Bauer
Communications Associate
503.823.5426
mbauer@racc.org
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