Cheryle St. Onge receives Artist Advancement Grant

CONCORD, NH (PRESS RELEASE) – Photographer Cheryle St. Onge has been named the 2015 recipient of the Piscataqua Region Artist Advancement Grant. The $25,000 grant, which is awarded annually by the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, is one of the country’s largest unrestricted grants to an individual artist.

The Artist Advancement Grant provides financial support of up to $25,000 to a Seacoast-area visual artist to promote his or her artistic growth. The grant is made possible by the Artist Advancement Initiative Fund, created at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation by Seacoast philanthropist Tom Haas and his family, and subsequently added to by the Joan Dwyer and Jayne Dwyer Charitable Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.

St. Onge will use the $25,000 grant to construct a studio at her home in Durham, NH to give her a dedicated space to advance her artistic process.

“This newly constructed studio will be a place where I can house the many aspects of my creativity and art making processes,” said Cheryle St. Onge. “It will also greatly improve the creation of ideas and the production of new work.”

St. Onge has exhibited all over the country including many local galleries in New England and was selected as the John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship in 2009. Her current body of work, Natural Findings, explores the curiosity and awe of the early grasp of nature.

Conceptual artist Carly Glovinski of Dover, NH and weaver Sarah Haskell of York, Maine were selected as finalists for the Artist Advancement Grant and will both receive a grant in the amount of $1,500 to continue their work.

The Piscataqua Region Artist Advancement Grant grew out of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s long-term commitment to supporting the arts. The grant recognizes the importance of the artists who live and work in the region and help to make it such a vital community. The Artist Advancement Grant was developed to show respect for artists, create meaningful substantive support, help artists advance their work and career, and mutually benefit individual artists and the region as a whole.

“For more than a decade, the Piscataqua Region Artist Advancement Grant has helped over a dozen local artists continue exploring their artistic work,” said Simon Delekta, senior program officer at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. “Thanks to our generous donors, individual artists like Cheryle can continue to help culturally enrich our local communities.”

Artist Advancement Grant recipients are selected based on work that demonstrates an artistic vision and their plan for how they will use the grant to grow their artistic development. The first grant was made in spring 2002 to sculptor Gary Haven Smith of Northwood. Subsequent recipients were: painter Kate Doyle of New Castle; potter Maureen Mills of Portsmouth; eco-artist Tim Gaudreau of Portsmouth; installation artists Barbara Rita Jenny of Portsmouth and Kirsten Reynolds of Newmarket; new media artist Ross Cisneros of Sanbornville; woodworker and sculptor Lynn Szymanski of Rollinsford; painter and installation artist Gail Spaien of Kittery Point, Maine; kinetic sculpture and installation artist Kim Bernard of North Berwick, Maine; digital media artist Bear Kirkpatrick of Portsmouth; photographer Justin Kirchoff of Eliot, Maine; and in 2014, conceptual artist Lauren Gillette from York, Maine.

Applicants for the 2015 award represented a variety of media, including painting, textiles, photography, mixed media, and others. Two independent juries reviewed the artwork and plans submitted by the applicants.

About the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation

The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation was created in 1962 by and for the people of New Hampshire, and is dedicated to strengthening communities across the Granite State. The Foundation manages a growing collection of 1,700 philanthropic funds created by generous families, individuals and businesses, and awards more than $30 million in grants and scholarships every year. The Foundation invests charitable assets for today and tomorrow; works with generous and visionary citizens to maximize the power of their giving; supports critical work happening in New Hampshire communities and leads and collaborates on high-impact initiatives. For more information, please visit www.nhcf.org or call 603-225-6641.