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Through this review
session, the panelists had the opportunity to witness the
wide range of artistic practices in Toledo.
The 2019 Merit Award
winners are: Elaina Hernandez, Loraine Lynn, Carly Riegger,
and James Dickerson. Award levels were publicly announced at
the December 10 Arts Commission Holiday Reception. Details
on each artist are described below. They join 2018
recipients Tim Stover, Joanna Manousis, Eric Pfeffinger and
Matt Foss and 2017 recipients Natalie Lanese, Zac Weinberg,
Lindsay Scypta and Lauren Fowler.
Elaina Hernandez- $2500 In
1996 “El Corazon de Mexico”, which translates as “The Heart
of Mexico”, was founded by director Elaina Hernandez.
Hernandez is a 33-year veteran of Mexican Folkloric Dance.
She has studied under Maestro Carlos Vega of Mexico,
Instructor Rene Cardoza of Chicago, Director Samuel Cortez
of California, Maestro Placido Lopez Guerrero of Colima,
Mexico, Maestro Bladimir Arredondo of Tamaulipas, Mexico,
Maestra Karina Estrella of California and Maestro Jose Tena
of New Mexico. Hernandez has been directing and
choreographing for over 20 years. She is a certified
Ballroom and Latin instructor and certified ZIN Zumba and
Zumba Kids Instructor.
In 2010, Hernandez
received the Diamante Award for Latino Adult Leadership. In
2016, she received the Ohio Heritage Fellowship from the
Ohio Arts Council. Hernandez is greatly honored to receive
the 2019 Merit Award from the Arts Commission. This award
will help her to continue preserve Mexican culture through
Folkloric dance by providing free instruction to the youth
of El Corazon de Mexico. “I hope that my 23 years of
commitment to El Corazon de Mexico will inspire other
artists to donate their time, talent and knowledge to the
youth of Toledo. Not for money, but for the passion of Art
and love of our city." - Elaina Hernandez
Loraine Lynn- $1000
Loraine Lynn is an interdisciplinary artist and Assistant
Teaching Professor based in Toledo, Ohio. She is interested
in working with materials and methods that are fluid, such
as glass, fiber, video, and installation. Her work is
intended as a critique of structures we adhere to and
perform within. She's earned degrees from the Cleveland
Institute of Art and Bowling Green State University in
Glass, Sculpture, and Three-dimensional Studies. The Merit
Award will contribute to the purchase of an industrial
tufting gun and other materials. The equipment will allow
continuation of new work conceptualized during a residency
this past summer.
“Experimentation, and the
failures that sometimes come along with it, are important
aspects in my artistic practice. Receiving a Merit Award
allows me the opportunity to go out on a limb and try a new
way of working without having to worry about cost. I’m very
grateful for the support of this award because it relieves
much of the financial pressure that can come with new
projects and allows me to focus solely on realizing my
creative vision. I will be able to put these funds towards
the purchase of supplies to continue my experimentation with
tufting and other fiber-based methods.” -Loraine Lynn
Carly Riegger- $1000 Carly
Riegger’s interest in ceramics began in high school and
continued through her studies at Bowling Green State
University, with anticipated graduation in May 2020. Even
before college, Riegger was intrigued by sculpting the human
form, and has remained involved in creating figures since
then. In 2018, she traveled abroad to Florence, Italy and
studied for a semester at Studio Arts International College.
This enhanced her artistic skill greatly. She decided to
start making ceramic dolls as her primary form of disability
activism during this trip. She joined D.R.E.A.M. Club
(Disability, Rights, Education, Advocacy, and Mentoring) at
BGSU in 2019 to help enhance her knowledge of disability
studies and advocacy.
“I am so moved to be
awarded a Merit Award and the many opportunities it will
give me this year to progress my art. This grant will help
me advance the fabric work of my dolls, which I haven’t had
the resources for before. I will be able to invest in
creating my own fabric designs and prints so they are
completely customized to express the chronic illness my art
addresses. My artistic practice will greatly benefit from
the resources and supplies I will be able to experiment with
in my dolls. I am very excited to see where this work takes
me and show you what I create with it.” -Carly Riegger
James Dickerson- $500 A
street photographer born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, James
Dickerson, a.k.a. dirtykics, recently produced his first
solo exhibition, Lowercase at AIGA Toledo, focusing on
fatherhood, transit, and candid photographs. The Arts
Commission played a huge role in fortifying the link between
his art and the people he serves, one example is through
funding for the Beautiful People project, where portraits of
Junction neighborhood locals were displayed outside the
defunct Champ’s Barber Shop. Dickerson sees every photograph
as an embrace of humanity.
“As a visual artist, the
Merit Award contributes to the age-old song of material
support. I could not keep up with myself if it were not for
opportunities such as this, that provide peace of mind for
the hobbyist and the professional who share the same drive.
It's almost like a big brother who won't let you give up
just yet. The Merit Award says you're in this, and we are
watching.” - James Dickerson
The Arts Commission Artist
Merit awards program is generously sponsored by ProMedica,
the Ohio Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the
Arts.
For more information,
contact The Arts Commission: 419.254.2787 | info@theartscommission.org
| www.TheArtsCommission
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