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The Region 2 Arts Council (R2AC) has awarded its 2022-23 Artist Fellowship to contemporary Native American artist Kent Estey and bassoonist Miriam Brack Webber.
Recipients were selected on Oct. 11 by a committee of area artists, including three past artist fellows and two R2AC board members, out of eight applications received.
The award is for dedicated artists who have created a substantial, independent body of work, have received recognition for their work, and whose work has been selected for solo exhibitions, commissions, presentations, readings or performances.
Estey is an enrolled member of the White Earth Nation of Ojibwe. His lineage includes many self-taught artists. Black-ash basketry, beading, birch-bark and fiber artistry were everyday occurrences in his home. His preferred art form is painting with oils, acrylics and inks. His paintings reflect feelings through his use of color and movement on the canvas.
Some of Estey’s most recent work incorporates rock, metal and collage on canvas and board. His work has been exhibited in the Twin Cities, Bemidji, Grand Rapids, Wahpeton, N.D. and other regional exhibitions and galleries.
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Estey has been an educator most of his life, living and working in Naytahwaush.
Webber is currently assistant professor of music at Bemidji State University and an active bassoonist. She is the principal bassoonist of the Bemidji Symphony and Heartland Symphony orchestras, and has performed with orchestras from across the country. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Kansas in music theory, a Bachelor of Music from Ball State University in bassoon performance and Master of Music degrees from McGill University and the University of Kansas in bassoon performance and music theory, respectively.
Webber is a founding member of Silent Voices Project, a large-scale project creating opportunities for womxn composers engaging in writing, publishing, performing and recording western art music for chamber woodwinds.
The R2AC Artist Fellowship Award is made possible through the support of the McKnight Foundation.
