Each year the Utah Division of Arts & Museums awards $10,000 fellowships to two individuals in recognition of their artistic excellence. This year, BYU professor Daniel Everett has been chosen for his work across a broad range of media including photography, video, sculpture, and installation. Everett is an artist and assistant professor of new genres in Brigham Young University’s Department of Art. Over the past few years, his work has been featured across the United States and Europe, bringing international and national attention back to Utah and BYU.
“What the Utah Division of Arts & Museums does for artists is incredible and I'm extremely grateful to be a recipient of this award,” said Everett. “Utah has not always been such a welcoming place for contemporary art, but right now there is a growing group of very involved people working to change that. I think what they're doing is wonderful.” Artists practicing in a variety of media such as painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, sculpture, craft, and new genres apply for the fellowship each year. By only selecting two winners, this award shows the professionalism and quality demonstrated through the winners’ work.
“I was quite surprised by the announcement,” said Everett. “I'm not exactly sure why I was chosen, as there are certainly a range of equally qualified artists. All I can say is that I take art seriously and work very hard at what I do.” In addition to awarding for excellence, the fellowship is also a way to encourage the careers of the winners. Everett hopes to use the award money to finalize two new bodies of work for exhibition. “My only real aspirations as an artist are to continue working in a sincere and dedicated way and pushing myself forward. I hope to be a part of a larger dialogue and one of the ways I see to achieve that is through exhibitions.”