Home » Kentucky artists awarded Al Smith Fellowships

Kentucky artists awarded Al Smith Fellowships

Given for excellence in literary arts

FRANKFORT, Ky. (July 21, 2014) — Six distinguished Kentucky artists have been awarded Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowships from the Kentucky Arts Council for demonstrating a high level of excellence and creativity in their literary arts careers.

Al Smith
Al Smith

The prestigious award, named in honor of Kentucky journalist Al Smith, recognizes professional artists who have reached a high level of achievement in their career. Since its beginning in 1983, the program has provided more than $2.5 million in funding to artists in the visual arts, literary arts, media arts, composing and choreography.

“The Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowship award is considered a benchmark of excellence in the careers of the Commonwealth’s artists,” said Lori Meadows, arts council executive director. “The artists who receive this award are of a high caliber, and we are happy to support them in the continuation of their work.”

The artists receiving awards are:

  • Christian Moody, fiction, Danville
  • Mark Eric Schimmoeller, creative nonfiction, Frankfort
  • Diana Grisanti, playwriting, Louisville
  • Makalani Bandele, poetry, Louisville
  • Steve Moulds, playwriting, Louisville
  • Carrie Jerrell, poetry, Murray

Al Smith Fellowships are awarded in different categories each year on a rotating schedule. The next opportunity for literary artists to apply will be in 2016. Applications for the next round of funding in the fields of musical composition and visual arts will be accepted until Feb. 15, 2015