Created in 2001 to support and recognize Alaskan artists, the fund was established by the Boochever family to honor Connie Boochever, a longtime supporter of the arts, who passed away in 1999. The fund’s recipients initially were “established” artists but that designation was changed to “emerging” artists to fill an unmet need in the Alaskan arts community.
2025 Applications open July, 2025
The 2025 Category is: Performing Arts, Theatre and Music, and the application opens July, 2025.
Purpose
To recognize and assist Alaskan Emerging Artists of exceptional talent.
About Connie Boochever
Connie Boochever was an avid performer, director, and producer of community theater and a lifelong patron and advocate of the arts. Her devoted work in support of the arts laid the foundation for many cultural activities we enjoy in Alaska. A member of the first Alaska State Arts Council, she served on the council both as a member and as chairperson for many years. A Juneau resident, she founded Juneau’s Community Theater and the Juneau Arts and Humanities Forum, and was a board member of Arts Alaska and the Alaska Repertory Theater. Her crusading efforts gave the arts a voice in Alaskan government and she played a key role in advocating for passage of legislation mandating percent for Art in Public Places. Connie’s legacy can be seen in art installed in public buildings around the state. This Fellowship was established to honor and reflect the spirited passion for the arts she consistently demonstrated, and to further the message she championed throughout her life: That the arts are important to the citizens of our state and worthy of significant support from individuals, businesses, and corporations.
What is an Emerging Artist?
Emerging professional artists are defined as the principal creators of new work who:
- take risks and embrace challenges;
- have a developing voice that reveals significant potential;
- are rigorous in their approach to creation and production;
- have some evidence of professional achievement but not a substantial record of accomplishment; and
- are not recognized as established artists by other artists, curators, producers, critics, and arts administrators.
An emerging visual artist has not had multiple (three or more) solo exhibits in a dedicated visual arts space (example: gallery, arts center, museum) except as a college or university student, or has not yet been the main feature of a state, national, or international collection or exhibition.
An emerging performing artist has not performed or had their work performed as the featured performance multiple (three or more) times on a local, state, national or international stage.
Categories of Art
Awards are distributed every other year with alternating disciplines of art. With the establishment of the Alaska Literary Awards in 2014, the Literary Arts category will no longer be a discipline of art for the Boochever fellowships, beginning in 2017. Since the first awards in 2002, 41 fellowships have been awarded.
2021: Performing Arts, including theater and music
2023: Visual Arts, Film, Digital & Media Arts
Fellows
Please click on any of the Artist Fellows below for more information about the artist, and samples of his or her work:
2023 Fellows
Karyn Murphy – Multidisciplinary Visual Art, Homer
Maïté Agopian – Puppeteer, Fairbanks
Kadey Ambrose – Basketry, Ester
Abigail Kokai – Textiles, Homer
2021 Fellows
Annie Bartholomew – Music, Juneau
Michael Chase Dickerson – Music, Anchorage
Carey Seward – Theatre, Fairbanks
2019 Fellows
Katie Craney – Multi-discipline, Haines
Erin Gingrich – Multi-discipline, Anchorage
Klara Maisch – Painting, Fairbanks
Mark Tetpon – Sculpture and carving, Anchorage
2017 Fellows
Christy Namee Eriksen, Juneau, spoken word artist
Ruby Jones, Anchorage, performance artist
Christel Veraart, Anchorage, composer and musician
Stephanie Wonchala, Anchorage, dancer and choreographer
2015 Fellows
Ellen Frankenstein, Sitka- Film, digital, media art
John Hagen, Haines- Photography
Enzina Marrari, Anchorage- visual and performance art
Austin Parkhill, Barrow and Homer- visual art
2013 Fellows
Erin Coughlin Hollowell, Homer – Literary Arts
Nicole Stellon O’Donnell, Fairbanks – Literary Arts
Lucas Rowley, Anchorage – Literary Arts
Lance A. (X ‘unei) Twitchell, Sitka – Literary Arts
Allison Warden, Anchorage – Performing Arts
2011 Fellows
James Adcox, Anchorage – Visual Arts
Michael Conti, Anchorage – Visual Arts
Wendy Gingell, Anchorage – Visual Arts
Ben Huff, Fairbanks – Visual Arts
2009 Fellows
Anne Coray, Port Alsworth – Literary Arts
Yngvil Vatn Guttu, Homer and Anchorage – Performing Arts
Joan Kane, Anchorage – Literary Arts
Schatzie Schaefers, Anchorage – Performing Arts
2007 Fellows
Annie Duffy, Fairbanks – Visual Arts
Asia Freeman, Homer – Visual Arts
Elizabeth Eero Irving, Fairbanks – Visual Arts
DJ “Buzz” Schwall – Performing Arts
2005 Fellows
Ryan Connaro, Juneau – Performing Arts
Olena Davis, Anchorage – Literary Arts
Stefan Hakenberg, Juneau – Performing Arts
Cinthia Ritchie, Anchorage – Literary Arts
2003 Fellows
Delores Churchill, Juneau – Native Arts
Dan DeRoux, Juneau – Visual Arts
Ken DeRoux, Juneau – Visual Arts
Sheila Wyne, Anchorage – Visual Arts
2002 Fellows
John Luther Adams, Fairbanks – Performing Arts
Roblin Gray Davis, Juneau – Performing Arts
Nancy Lord, Homer – Literary Arts