(Contributed photo: Kathleen Crocetti (center) and others stand in front of Crocetti’s work, “Tile Color Map: Seacliff Village Park,” at the R. Blitzer Gallery in Santa Cruz.)
WATSONVILLE — Kathleen Crocetti had been nominated five times for the Rydell Visual Arts Fellowship, but each time she applied to be considered by a blind jury, the Watsonville artist had been passed over.
However, by the sixth time, the rejection letter didn’t arrive, and instead, Crocetti found out in late 2015 that she was one of four artists to receive a $20,000 fellowship.
“I was super excited and honored when I heard,” she recalled.
Crocetti is joined by Irene Lusztig and Helen and Newton Harrison as the 2016-2017 recipients of the Rydell Visual Arts Fellowship Program, who will present the work they have completed over the past two years at an exhibit at the R. Blitzer Gallery. The exhibit opens Friday.
In 1985, Roy and Frances Rydell established a donor-advised fund at the Community Foundation Santa Cruz County, with the purpose to support visual arts.
When they died in 2000, their estate was left to the Community Foundation. After meeting with artists, educators and others on how to distribute the funds, the Community Foundation decided the fund would not only provide grants to arts organizations, but fellowships in the amount of $20,000 to individual artists.
The Rydell Visual Arts Fund is now providing the grants and fellowships in perpetuity, Community Foundation Communications Director Luis Chabolla said.
“It’s a big deal,” he said. “We are one of the few foundations that offer these kinds of fellowships for artists.”
Awarded every two years, there are “no strings attached” for the artists receiving the fellowships, Chabolla said. Some use the $20,000 to go on a sabbatical to concentrate on their artwork, while others may use it to upgrade their studios.
Santa Cruz County artists are nominated by local art galleries and organizations, and if they choose to apply, the artists are considered by a panel of national arts professionals.
In the last few years, $400,000 has been given out to artists, according to Chabolla.
With the help of community members, Crocetti recently completed “Celebrating the Dignity of Labor,” a series of 16 mosaic medallions embedded in sidewalks along three intersections on Main Street in downtown Watsonville.
Known for her public art pieces, she uses a variety of material in her work, including fabric, clay, neon, steel, glass, paper, wood, resins and more. Her work is visible at the Barson Street Stairs Mosaics, Laurel Street Bridge Mosaics and Soquel Avenue Bridge Mosaics, among other public sites throughout Santa Cruz County.
She holds a bachelor’s degree from Mary Washington University and a M.F.A. from Norwich University.
Always intrigued by Islamic patterns and designs, in summer of 2016, Crocetti spent time in Fez, Morocco for an artist-in-residence program. Once it was over, she went to London for two weeks and took a class on Islamic design.
Crocetti’s work in the upcoming R. Blitzer Gallery exhibit was inspired by that trip and bolstered by the $20,000 fellowship, she said.
For more than 45 years, Helen and Newton Harrison have worked with biologists, ecologists, architects, urban planners and other artists to find solutions that support biodiversity. Past projects have focused on watershed restoration, urban renewal, agriculture and forestry issues, among others.
The Harrisons have presented their work in two Venice Biennales, two Sao Paolo Biennales, Documenta 8, the Museums of Modern Art in Chicago and more.
Lusztig, a filmmaker, visual artist and archival researcher, is Associate Professor of Film and Digital Media at UC Santa Cruz. Her work has been screened around the world, including at MoMA, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Anthology Film Archives, Pacific Film Archive and others.
She holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a MFA from Bard College.
The 2016-2017 fellowship recipients will display their work at the R. Blitzer Gallery for the Rydell Visual Arts Fellows Exhibition, opening Friday and running through Dec. 30.
The gallery is located at 2801 Mission St. (Extension) in the University Business Park (former Wrigley Building) in Santa Cruz. The opening reception on Friday will be from 5-9 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 5 p.m.
For information, visit www.cfscc.org/RydellVisualArtsFund or rblitzergallery.com.
