Created in 1999 as an advisory group, the Fellows Council serves as a point of communication between Fellows and the VCCA board and administration, advising the board regarding matters of vital importance to Fellows in residence, including renovation of the physical plant, outreach for the highest quality artists and diverse populations, residency fees and fundraising. It also adminsters the VCCA Award for Excellence in the Arts, awarded each year to a non-Fellow whose achievement in the arts is universally acknowledged. The award rotates between a writer, a visual artist and a composer.
The Council is composed of 10 to 12 Fellows working in a variety of disciplines. Members serve four-year terms. Current Fellows Council members are:
Karen Bell, photographer, Chair, New York, NY
Kerry Dolan, Vice Chair, writer, San Francisco, CA
Loren Graham, poet, Helena, MT
David Haynes, fiction writer, Dallas, TX
Marion Held, visual artist, Montclair, NJ
Peggy Ingraham, writer, Alexandria, VA
Laura Kaminsky, composer, Bronx, NY
Anne LeClaire, writer, South Chatham, MA
Claire Lieberman, visual artists, Bloomington, IL
Koji Nakano, composer, Boston, MA
Clarissa Sligh, visual artist, Philadelphia, NY
Above: VCCA Fellows Council Chair Karen Bell (right) and member Clarissa Sligh. Photo by Karen Bell