Nirmal Raja and Ck Ledesma among Nohl Fellowship winners
Five artists, including Ck Ledesma and Nirmal Raja, have won southeastern Wisconsin’s prestigious prize for individual artists, the Mary L. Nohl Fellowship.
The Nohl fund gives two established artists $20,000 and three emerging artists $10,000 each to create new work or complete work in progress. The funds, given in memory of the late artist Nohl, are unrestricted.
The 18th annual competition drew 151 applicants.
The five winners, all based in Milwaukee, will participate in a future Haggerty Museum of Art exhibit.
Winners in the established artist category:
Transdisciplinary artist Ck Ledesma, a native of Puerto Rico, has recently been exploring “the legacies of slavery and colonization within AfroCaribbean food systems, as well as the effects they have had on the formation of Afro-Caribbean cultures,” according to a statement released by the Mary L. Nohl Fund. His public art can be seen at the Milwaukee County Courthouse, Woodland Pattern Book Center and the Milwaukee Public Library.
Born in India, Nirmal Raja is known as an artist, curator and mentor in Milwaukee. She is a strong proponent of collaboration, such as the project “On Belonging,” in which Lois Bielefeld photographed Raja at various Milwaukee locations wearing saris.
Raja has decided to share her financial award with the five finalists in the established artists category: Portia Cobb, David Niec, Heidi Parkes, Valaria Tatera and Della Wells. “I value tremendously the support and camaraderie of the artists’ community in Milwaukee and find it truly unique,” she said in the Nohl Fund statement. “This has been a tough year for many. … It is my pleasure to share this prize, in admiration and respect, with all of them. I am grateful for the opportunity to do so.”
Winners in the emerging artist category:
“Fault Lines,” a work of art by Nirmal Raja, a 2020 Nohl Fellowship winner. ROB QUINN
Sculptor Janelle Gramling uses gravity as a key element in wall-hung and ceiling-hung works made from fiber, wood and ceramics.
Rosy Petri works in fabric portraiture as well as podcasting and multimedia storytelling. She is a former Pfister Hotel artist in residence.
A native of Hawaii, Leah Schretenthaler creates images through a combination of photography, laser etching, and metal casting.
Finalists in the emerging group included Phoenix Brown, Molly Hassler, Kelly Frederick Mizer, Open Kitchen (Alyx Christensen and Rudy Medina), Nicole Shaver, Janelle VanderKelen, and Carey Watters.
The jurors included Kimberli Gant, curator of modern and contemporary art at the Chrysler Museum in Norfolk, VA; Ashley James, associate curator, contemporary art at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York; and Shamim M. Momin, director of curatorial affairs at the Henry Art Gallery in Seattle.
Due to the pandemic, the jurying process was conducted virtually, including virtual studio visits with the established artist finalists.