Melanie Braverman, Cherie Mittenthal Selected as Arts Foundation of Cape Cod Fellows
July 15, 2019 (Hyannis, MA) –The Arts Foundation of Cape Cod (AFCC) has chosen visual artist Cherie Mittenthal of Provincetown, and writer Melanie Braverman of Brewster, as its 2019 Arts Fellows. Now in its fifth year, the AFCC fellowship program has provided funding and recognition to a total of 12 Cape Cod artists, allowing them to pursue projects that align with their creative passions.
“Since we started this program, our goal has been to identify individuals in our region who are creating meaningful art and empower them to continue honing their craft. Investing in artists is one of the ways we help artists achieve their personal and professional goals,” AFCC Executive Director Julie Wake said. “We are excited to add Cherie and Melanie to our list of accomplished fellows. They are perfect examples of the immense talent we have here on the Cape.”
As part of the award, each fellow will receive $1,500 to support their work. Funding for the AFCC Fellowships is made possible by the nonprofit’s Patron Program.
Since 2002, Mittenthal has served as the Executive Artistic Director for the Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill. She holds an MFA in printmaking/bookmaking from Purchase College and a BFA in printmaking from the University of Hartford.
Over the past 14 years, she has worked primarily in wax or encaustic paint. She is an encaustic instructor at Castle Hill and the director of the International Encaustic Conference held annually in Truro.
Her work has been exhibited in a variety of galleries and museums, including the Kobalt Gallery in Provincetown; the Cape Cod Museum of Art in Dennis; the Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM); the Cotuit Center for the Arts; Endicott College in Beverly; Gallery Galatea in Boston; and the Hunterdon Art Museum in Clinton, New Jersey.
Mittenthal, who recently opened a new studio in Provincetown, plans to use her fellowship towards a new series focused on climate change. “I have really been noticing the change in the landscape,” she said. “It is something that has shifted visually… I do notice the tide coming up a little higher. It just feels different. I’m conscious of it, and it’s showing up in my work these days.”
She expressed gratitude to the AFCC for selecting her as a Visual Arts Fellow. “It’s great to be recognized for something you love to do,” she said.
It was a similar reaction from Braverman, who works full time as the Development and Cultural Director of the Alzheimer’s Family Support Center of Cape Cod which she co-founded in 2014 with her partner Dr. Molly Perdue. When she received the call that she had been chosen as an AFCC Written Word Fellow, she said, “I was so happy… I haven’t had much time to focus on my own work, and this was a real nod to get back to that world.”
Braverman will use her award to complete a novel she started shortly before her older brother, Robert Braverman, died of cancer in 2011 at the age of 54. The main character in the book is loosely based on Robert. “I am now older than my big brother was when he died,” Melanie wrote in her artist statement for this year’s fellowship. “The novel I began before my brother’s death is two-thirds complete, and it’s time to finish.”
Braverman’s previous works include a book of poetry, “Red,” which won the 2002 Perugia Press Prize and was a Lambda Literary Award Finalist, as well as “East Justice.” Her writing has appeared in a variety of publications, includingThe New York Times Sunday Magazine. In 2003, she was a special writer in residence at Brandeis University.
About the AFCC
The AFCC’s mission is to support, promote, and celebrate the arts and culture of Cape Cod. It fulfills its mission by funding grants, fellowships, and scholarships; by advocating for more awareness on the impact the Cape’s creative economy has on our region and beyond; and by building a strong arts community network through membership.
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