Perpich News

Perpich Alumni Named Jerome Hill Artist Fellows

The Jerome Foundation recently announced the first recipients of the new Jerome Hill Artist Fellowships program and two of them are Perpich alumni.

The Jerome Foundation recently announced the first recipients of the new Jerome Hill Artist Fellowships program and two of them are Perpich alumni. Sixty fellowships are being awarded (ten each in the disciplines of dance, film/new media, literature, music, theater/performance/spoken word, and visual arts) to early-career artists based in Minnesota and New York City.

jerome hill artist fellows

Both in the music discipline, alums deVon Gray (Music 1998) and Walken Schweigert (Theater 2006) are recipients. Gray, a multi-instrumentalist, classically trained composer, is as comfortable writing orchestral and operatic works as he is churning out jazz riffs and hip-hop swag. Schweigert is an actor, musician, composer, and director. A classically trained violinist, Schweigert co-founded and/or performed in over nine musical ensembles of varying genres, from klezmer to metal.

Each Fellow will receive $40,000 over two years ($20,000 per year) in direct support to advance artistic or professional development and/or to create new work. Minnesota-based Fellows will also be offered individualized professional development guidance through Springboard for the Arts of St. Paul, while New York City artists will receive similar opportunities through the Multi-Arts Production (MAP) Fund of New York. An additional $10,000 per artist will be made available to select nonprofit organizations with which the Fellows are working during the grant period, bring the Foundation’s total investment to $3.2 million over two years.