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EA Winner: Clara Kim

Clara Kim [Photo credit: Lauren Desberg]
Emerging Artist Award: Music

“It is truly an honor to be one of the recipients for the 2020 St. Botolph Foundation Emerging Artist Grants. As an artist, it is my passion to represent the voices of our generation by commissioning and championing their music; through this, I hope to push boundaries and be at the forefront of music-making. With this award, I have been able to commission and document a beautiful new piece by a Boston-based composer.
It is amazing to have my dream supported, but especially meaningful this year during the Covid-19 global pandemic. It has meant absolutely everything to me to be encouraged to carry on, to be inspired to keep dreaming and creating. I am so deeply grateful to the St. Botolph Foundation for their generosity and for their belief in my work.”

EA Winner – Zhidong Zheng

Zhidong Zhang

Emerging Artist Award: Visual

“The SBCF Emerging Artist Grant definitely came in time within such turmoil of the pandemic. I was just fresh out of graduate school and trying to navigate myself as a professional artist, and being awarded this grant helped me get my feet on the ground during this trying time. With the generosity of the St. Botolph Club, not only did I receive tremendous financial support in covering material costs and equipment fees, I was also able to stay connected with the community I love in Boston, take time diving deeper into my practice, and establish a clearer and firmer voice of my own. It has been a wonderful and magical journey with the support from the St. Botolph Club, and I’m very grateful and honored to be part of it!”

DA Winner – Michael Gandolfi

Michael Gandolfi

2020 Distinguished Artist Award, Composer

Michael Gandolfi

Michael Gandolfi has a broad range of musical interests encompassing not only contemporary concert music but also jazz, blues, and rock, by which route he first became a musician. The span of his musical investigation is paralleled by his cultural curiosity, resulting in many points of contact between the world of music and other disciplines, including science, film, and theater.
Photo credit: Matthew Cavanaugh

EA Winner: Brianna Robinson

 

 

Emerging Artist Award: Music

“Winning the SBCF Emerging Artist Award meant that I could travel to the Czech Republic with an incredible vocal training program called OpernFest Prague. I was able to work beside many members of the head leadership at The National Theatre in Prague (Narodni Divadlo) working on my performance and vocal technique. This experience ended in my audition for 8 of the top theaters in Prague as well as a performance with the orchestra of The National Theatre. All of this complimented by the beautiful and storybook city of Prague. This grant also allowed me to extend my studies here in Boston, beginning voice lessons with an incredible teacher from New England Conservatory. I am very grateful to the SBCF for allowing me to continue my passion for opera and performance. Their Emerging Artist Award has refreshed my commitment to such a beautiful and life-changing art form.”

EA Winner: Jonathan Shin

Emerging Artist Award: Music

In 2019 I was commissioned to compose an orchestral suite celebrating my country’s Bicentennial. Thanks to the Emerging Artist grant, I was able to fly back to Singapore to do more in-depth research about the history and multicultural roots of my nation. My heart is filled with gratitude to the St. Botolph Club Foundation for their support and affirmation in my music.

DA Winner – Afaa M. Weaver

Afaa M. Weaver

2021 Distinguished Artist Award – Multi Media

Afaa M. Weaver

Afaa M. Weaver credits his literary accomplishments to his lifelong engagement with Chinese culture. In Taiwan in 2019, he received the 96th Medal from the Artists and Writers Association. He now lives with his wife Kristen Skedgell in upstate New York and is a member of the MFA faculty at Sarah Lawrence. At Simmons University, where he held the Alumnae Chair for twenty years, Weaver is now Professor Emeritus.
Photo credit: Rachel Eliza Griffith

EA Winner: Margery Mueller

Emerging Artist Award: Visual

” One of the major recent  moments for me was finding out that I had won the the 2019  St.Botolph Emerging Artist award and the Nellie Taft painting award”  The award came in the mail the week of my 75th birthday.
Although I was a painting major and did work at my art over the past many years, it wasn’t until I moved to New Hampshire 10 years ago, with my new husband, Bob Mueller, that I  finally had space and time to work daily, and finally actualize my career. My work has been lauded by some but wining this award has been a significant moment for me.”