Corduroys and Button-down Shirts by Angela Basile (2011)

Parsons would like to congratulate two of our alumni on being awarded New York Foundationfor the Arts 2012 Artist Fellowships. Less than 100 artists from around New York State were awarded fellowships in 2012; past winners have included the winners of five Academy Awards, five Tony Awards, eight Pulitzer Prizes and 15 MacArthur “Genius” Fellowships.

Angela Basile (MFA Fine Arts, ’09) was named a Fellow in Painting. Reached over email, she told the News that the works which won her the fellowship, “Nods to the aged optimism of a place called Whip City–a place that accommodated a mighty middle class, who together, celebrated and shared the optimism of an American Dream.” She continues, “Anthropomorphic anatomies –a winking window and a smiling curb, connect the houses to humanity, and remind me of a previous home, without the minutiae of life.”

New School alum Sara Lippmann (MFA Creative Writing, 2002) was named a Fellow in Fiction, even though she’s relatively recently returned to writing after several life and career detours.  “Like many of us, I often get bogged down by my own discouraging internal voice,” she told the News over email, “so hearing from NYFA was like finding out you have a fairy godmother long after you’ve given up hope. It means the world to have someone in your corner, rooting for you, who believes in your work and what you’re trying to say. I am so grateful to NYFA – and particularly, to the panelists, including New School alum Robert Lopez. The timing could not be better.” Lippmann’s story collection is tentatively titled Target Girl.

Scott Geiger (MFA Creative Writing 2005) was also named a Fellow in Fiction. His submissions to NYFA included two previously published short fictions, “A Design History of Icebergs” and “Quality of Life in Switzerland,” both previously published in the journal Conjunctions. “When I came to The New School in Fall 2003,” he said, “I had just read and re-read this new debut collection by a writer named John Haskell, who had received something called a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship. The writing life has few good surprises, but I guess life in general has some mysterious and exciting contours. It’s an incredible privilege to be among the 2012 NYFA Artist Fellows.”