The financial support meant more to me than I can ever communicate. But the acknowledgement that someone believed in me and my work, both up until that point and in to the future… well it was one of the most impactful and meaningful moments of my life.
My Tanne award came to me at such an early time in my career. I am now an Associate Professor at the University of Tennessee. I have been teaching for over 10 years and have been involved in numerous exhibitions all over the country. Here is one thing I have learned in my teaching and artistic experience. Being an artist is a trainable skill. There are things you can do to learn the necessary skills. In some ways, these skills are never fully attained. We just continue to try to improve upon them. This can be difficult and frustrating and at times seemingly insurmountable. Hard work, dedication, drive; indeed, these are important practices along the way. But there is one thing that every artist needs somewhere along the line. There is one thing that is incontrovertibly crucial to the development of artists no matter where they are in their career. At some point, somewhere along the way, someone has to say, "I believe in you." Artists need to know that they can indeed be artists. They need to know someone is watching them. Someone is interested in their growth, in their potential, and in their development as a human and an artist. They need to know they aren’t in this alone. They need to know they are supported and cared for. They need to know someone believes in them. 10 years ago, I was barely a year out of graduate school and at the very beginning of my first tenure-track position at Texas A&M University. This was a time of extreme excitement, but it was also filled with self-doubt, anxiety, and expectation. I remember so clearly opening an envelope with a hand written note on beautiful paper in brown ink. There was also a check in the envelope. I relate this story to my students and colleagues to this day. The letter seemed so out of the ordinary that I didn’t even finish reading the entire thing. It just couldn’t be. I looked at the check that was in the envelope and laughed. I said, "Ha, yeah right! Now that would be nice. Pfft Haha." Later that day, I picked the letter back up and read it in full. It seemed impossible. It was sincere and specific. It was addressed to me! It said in no uncertain terms, ‘We believe in you. We are interested in your growth, in your potential, in your development as an artist and a human and we support you.’ I remember saying aloud, "No way! No way! This can’t be! It has to be a mistake. It can’t be!" The financial support meant more to me than I can ever communicate. But the acknowledgement that someone believed in me and my work, both up until that point and in to the future… well it was one of the most impactful and meaningful moments of my life. My voice joins 20 years of esteemed and deserving Tanne Award recipients in gratefulness and thanks. My gratitude is unending. I am, to this day, working to make good on the Tanne Award’s generosity, support and care about my development as an artist and human. Thank you for your generosity and care.
