Visual Arts Fellow

Diana Cherbuliez

After moving to an island community off the coast of Maine, Diana Cherbuliez incorporated themes of isolation, access, and physical and conceptual structure into her work.

The long winters, constant tides, variable weather, and intense physical beauty of Vinalhaven all appear in her art. Diana enjoys researching projects and working with collected and salvaged materials that reflect her respect for history, craftsmanship, and conservation.

Belvedere Craft Fellow

Lynn Duryea

Since first arriving on Deer Isle, Lynn Duryea found an ongoing source of inspiration in its geography, architecture, harbors filled with work boats, and culture.

Lynn moved to Stonington in 1974 and established a studio on the island. Through elemental shape and form, she uses architectural, structural, and mechanical elements at a variety of scales.

She planned to create a body of work for Darkness and the Light, a curated group exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art at the Maine College of Art.

Literary Arts Fellow

Jennifer Lunden

Jennifer Lunden became ill in 1989, when she was 21 and had recently moved to Maine. Following 25 years of recovery, she came to view her experience as a dual citizen raised in Canada and living in the United States, and as a person disabled for many years by a controversial and misunderstood illness, as a distinctive perspective on issues facing the country.

American Breakdown: Notes from an Industrialized Body blends memoir, history, science, and social criticism to examine health hazards associated with industrial capitalism.

With the Fellowship, Jennifer planned to devote the first three months of 2019 to completing the book.

Craft Arts Fellow

Jan Owen

Jan Owen moved to Bangor in the late 1970s and worked as a graphic designer and calligrapher while playing string bass with the Bangor Symphony Orchestra. She later began making handmade books and panels.

Her books are often created on textured handmade paper or as scrolls on translucent polyester, drawing viewers through color, pattern, texture, and brushwork.

Jan lives in Belfast, where she continues working as a letter and book artist. She has collaborated with Maine poets including John Tagliabue, Wes McNair, and Stuart Kestenbaum.

Traditional Arts Fellow

Sarah Sockbeson

Sarah Sockbeson grew up living on and off the Penobscot Indian Island Reservation and always knew she would pursue a career in the arts.

Although she comes from a long line of basket weavers, Sarah sought out the knowledge and cultural heritage of traditional ash and sweetgrass basketry. She participates in every step, from gathering sweetgrass and locating an appropriate ash tree to cutting, dyeing, and weaving materials.

With support from the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance, Sarah became a master basket maker who teaches apprentices and works to preserve and share the cultural heritage for future generations.

Performing Arts Fellow

Daniel Sonenberg

Composer Daniel Sonenberg values the many musical styles and genres that inspired him throughout his life. The multiplicity that defines his art helped him resolve what he called a musical split-personality crisis.

Drawing from an eclectic range of genres, Daniel composed The Summer King in 2014. The opera was first presented in concert in Portland and later revised for a world premiere at Pittsburgh Opera.

In the years leading to the Fellowship, Daniel wrote two operas, released two rock albums and an EP, and composed numerous chamber works.

Media Arts Fellow

Thomas Willey

Thomas Willey is a lifelong resident of Southwest Harbor who has worked as a camera operator in motion pictures and television since 1990.

Although he traveled around the world for large film projects, Thomas particularly enjoys producing small documentaries with local significance.

His projects included an interactive work for the Schoodic Marine Center about the health of the Gulf of Maine and The Calvineers Movie, a documentary about a Maine teacher, junior scientists, and a right whale named Calvin.