Douglas Miller receives Al Smith Fellowship for Visual Arts

One of Kentucky’s top artists has been honored with a $7,500 Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowship from the Kentucky Arts Council for exemplifying excellence in the respective creative disciplines.

The prestigious award, named in honor of former arts council chair and Kentucky journalist Al Smith, recognizes professional artists who have reached a high level of achievement in their careers. Since its beginning in 1983, the program has provided more than $2.5 million in funding to artists in the visual arts, literary arts, media arts, composing and choreography.

In recognition of artistic excellence, Douglas Miller is the recipient of an Al Smith Fellowship Award from the Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, which is supported by state tax dollars and federal funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The 2015 recipient for Visual Arts in Drawing is:
Douglas Miller, visual arts (drawing), Louisville, Jefferson County

“This fellowship provides an exciting opportunity to explore larger, more diverse projects that I would be unable to accomplish without this generous support,” said Louisville-based Miller, whose work has been exhibited throughout Kentucky and in Los Angeles, Cincinnati, and Portland, Oregon. “I’m truly honored.”

The Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, fosters environments for Kentuckians to value, participate in and benefit from the arts. Kentucky Arts Council funding is provided by the Kentucky General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts. The arts council, along with the NEA, is celebrating 50 years of service in 2015, which the arts council is recognizing as the Year of the Arts in Kentucky.