FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Emily Swartzlander
(614) 221-8492
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Abdi Roble, Photographer and founder of Somali Documentary Project.
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Columbus, Ohio - Columbus artist Abdi Roble will receive the first $10,000 fellowship named in memory of former GCAC President Raymond J. Hanley, the Greater Columbus Arts Council and the Columbus Arts Endowment announced today.
An anonymous panel of judges, along with the trustees of the Columbus Arts Endowment, chose Roble as the inaugural recipient of the Raymond J. Hanley Fellowship, an award for an individual artist who lives or works in the Columbus area and who has demonstrated an unusual level of achievement. The fellowship is administered by GCAC and supported through the Hanley Arts Fund of the Columbus Arts Endowment, created upon Hanley's death in 2006.
Roble, a Somali native, is an acclaimed photographer and founder of the Somali Documentary Project, which uses photography to produce an archive of the Somali Diaspora. Along with project partner Doug Rutletdge, Roble's hope is to draw international attention to the plight of Somalia, educate Americans about these new immigrants and provide Somalis with a photographic record of their early experience in this country. Through the Somali Documentary Project, Roble has exhibited work at the Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery, Intermedia Arts in Minneapolis, the Columbus Museum of Art and more. Last year, Roble and Rutledge published a book that included work from the Somali Documentary project entitled The Somali Diaspora: A Journey Away.
The annual Raymond J. Hanley Fellowship, created last year, will go to an artist who has demonstrated an unusual level of achievement while working for at least five years in the visual arts, performing arts, literary arts or any other arts discipline. Fellowship money will be awarded to the recipient without restriction, so the artist can use it to further his or her career as needed.
Each year, the identification of a recipient will be made based upon the panel of judges' knowledge of individual artists working in the Columbus area and will not involve any application process. Based on the panel's nomination of a recipient, the final award will be approved by the Columbus Arts Endowment Board.
As President of the Greater Columbus Arts Council from 1985 through April 2006, Hanley helped to create a national image for Columbus as a city deeply committed to the arts. Prior to his time at GCAC, Hanley was Associate Producer of the Folger Theatre Group in Washington, Managing Director of the Pittsburgh Public Theatre and Executive Director of the Fusion Dance Company in Miami.
About the Greater Columbus Arts Council: Through vision and leadership, advocacy and collaboration, the Greater Columbus Arts Council supports art and advances the culture of the region. A catalyst for excellence and innovation, we fund exemplary artists and arts organizations and provide programs, events and services of public value that educate and engage all audiences in our community. GCAC thanks the City of Columbus, Franklin County and the Ohio Arts Council for their continued support of all our programs.
About the Columbus Arts Endowment: Created by past chairs of the Greater Columbus Arts Council, the Columbus Arts Endowment continues the spirit of advocacy and partnership GCAC has encouraged since its inception. Culture is the exclusive focus of the endowment, which is intended to supplement, not replace, existing broad-based philanthropic support. The Board of Trustees of the Columbus Arts Endowment consists exclusively of past chairs of the Greater Columbus Arts Council.