Grants:2008-2009 Arts Commentary Award Recipients


Theresa Tensuan-Eli and Mary DiLullo received an award for workshops featuring cartoonist Lynda Barry.

Arts Commentary award recipients have a strong ability to communicate ideas and information deftly and creatively to members of the broad general public, especially those new to the arts. Their projects demonstrate a strong commitment to expanding participation in the arts. Award recipients are chosen by a jury of nationally recognized experts. Jurors are from out of state and represent diverse types of arts commentators.

  • Alicia Grega-Pikul (Lackawanna County)
    Project: Neo-Vaudeville

    Ask most fans to trace back the roots of NBC's hit show America's Got Talent and they will reply with American Idol. But, in fact, the variety show format featuring singing, dancing, sideshow acts and feats of magic predates any reality show involving Simon Cowell. Instead, it is a reincarnation of vaudeville, a popular culture phenomenon which thrilled audiences across America from 1870-1920. Artist/journalist Alicia Grega-Pikul received funding to produce published writing and a multi-media presentation that explores the movement's recent resurgence, known as neo-vaudeville, across America, particularly in northeastern Pennsylvania.

  • Valerie Harris (Philadelphia County)
    Project: Communal (W)Rites

    When creative writing is deemed important and made accessible and when a place for that endeavor is established at an accessible community venue, what is the impact on both the individual and the community? Writer/filmmaker Valerie Harris received funding for the development of a video documentary and radio program that follows the experiences of seniors at adult writing and memoir-writing workshops. The video and the radio program will explore the dynamics and impact of participating in the workshops.

  • Robin Rice (Philadelphia County)
    Project: The Synergy of Fabrication

    The most famous glass artist in the world does not make his own glass. Indeed, Dale Chihuly has a number of skilled assistants who blow glass for his projects. And, he's far from unique. Glass artists as well as painters and sculptors frequently hire accomplished (often younger) artists to create works to their specifications. Sometimes they hire artists with technical expertise in materials they don't know much about. Robin Rice received funding to produce a publication and presentation that explores the professional and psychological dynamics in the close collaboration between artists and fabricators.

  • Theresa Tensuan-Eli and Mary DiLullo (Bucks County)
    Project: A Cartoonist in the Classroom

    Everyone has a story. For years, Lynda Barry has been helping people find theirs. Theresa Tensuan-Eli and Mary DiLullo received funding for a series of workshops led by playwright, novelist and cartoonist Lynda Barry, in which Barry coaches her students to draw from their recollection of visual images to create written narratives. Groups ranging from middle school students to special education teachers to immigrant students learning English will participate in workshops that culminate in a public reading. A documentary produced by Tensuan-Eli and DiLullo on Barry's creative and pedagogical practices and the experiences of the students will accompany the project.

  • A.M. Weaver (Philadelphia County)
    Project: Rustic Forms

    Because gender intersects with race, class and culture, women across the world (and even across the street from one another) can have dramatically different ways of experiencing life. Accordingly, approaches at feminist thought, like women themselves, are not monolithic. A.M. Weaver received funding for a project that analyzes the influence of feminism on the work of Chakaia Booker, Ursula Von Rydingsvard, Kiki Smith and Alison Saar—four contemporary women sculpture artists at the forefront of the American arts mainstream. Weaver's award will underwrite research for articles and a catalogue essay for an exhibition on these artists.
2008-2009 Jurors
  • Haifa Bint-Kadi (New York)
    Visual artist, filmmaker and arts educator.
  • Ayoka Chenzira (Georgia)
    Film and video artist. William and Camille Cosby Endowed Professor in the Arts at Spelman College.
  • Camille LeFevre (Minnesota)
    Freelance arts journalist and editor, dance critic and dance scholar.
  • Bruce Raeburn (Louisiana)
    Curator of the Hogan Jazz Archives, Tulane University.

Also See...

  • Humanities Grants: For programs designed by nonprofits committed to lifelong learning
  • Arts Commentary Awards: For nonfiction work that educates the public about the contemporary arts
  • PCA's website: For more on the Council's initiatives, partnerships, and responsive funding programs