WASHINGTON — The United States Mint has chosen a pool of 24 artists, ranging from a wildlife painter to a commercial graphic designer, to participate in the United States Mint’s new Artistic Infusion Program. The artists will prepare original designs for the Nation’s coins and medals.
“This is a historic moment. We have selected 24 American artists, representing a diverse cross–section of the Nation’s artistic landscape. They are engravers, painters, sculptors, illustrators, graphic artists, calligraphers, photographers, wood cutters and watercolorists,” said United States Mint Director Henrietta Holsman Fore. “Together, we will invigorate the artistry of coin design in America.
The United States Mint issued a nationwide “Call for Artists” on November 20, 2003, with a deadline of January 9, 2004, for receiving applications from artists, both professional and student, interested in forming a pool of designers to submit original images for various coins and medals. Thousands of applications were downloaded from the United States Mint’s web site, reflecting widespread interest in the program, and 306 applications were submitted. A panel composed of officials from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the United States Mint evaluated the artists’ applications and selected 24 program participants.
“We at the Arts Endowment are pleased to have had the opportunity to be part of this historic project of the United States Mint,” said Robert Frankel, Director of Museums and Visual Arts for the NEA. “It has been exciting to see the breadth and depth of artistic achievement represented in the applications we received and most compellingly evidenced in the 24 selected artists. We look forward to seeing their designs and to the continued success of the project.
The selected artists attended an orientation program at the United States Mint at Philadelphia on February 19th and 20th to learn about the history of coin and medal design, the coin–making process and upcoming design opportunities.
The selected Master and Associate Designers will enter into one–year renewable agreements with the United States Mint. They will be invited to create and submit at least one new design annually for a coin or medal program. Each Master Designer submitting a design will receive an honorarium of $1,000. Associate Designers will receive $500. United States Mint sculptor/engravers will model the designs submitted by the Artistic Infusion Program artists.
Created by Congress in 1792, the United States Mint is the manufacturer of legal tender coinage for the United States. The United States Mint’s 50 State Quarters Program is the most popular coin program in U.S. history. The United States Mint also produces commemorative coins and Congressional medals honoring individuals and events of special meaning to the American people and bullion coins from a variety of precious metals.
List of selected artists follows.
MASTER DESIGNERS
Leonard E. Buckley, Damascus, MD – Former bank note designer with the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, now doing watercolor painting and calligraphy.
Stephen M. Clark, Post Falls, ID – Wildlife painter, freelance designer and medallic sculptor.
Thomas S. Cleveland, Houston, TX – Commercial graphic designer.
Charles Danek, Los Angeles, CA – Photographic producer.
Joe Fitzgerald, Silver Spring, MD – Computer graphics, woodcuts, pastels and oil paintings.
Jamie Franki, Concord, NC – Illustrator, Associate Professor, University of North Carolina, Charlotte.
Sharon Fullingim, Socorro, NM – Sculptor in bronze, limestone and marble.
Susan Gamble, Tinker AFB, OK – Graphic designer and illustrator.
Howard Koslow, Toms River, NJ – Painter and illustrator.
Bill Krawczewicz, Severna Park, MD – Bank note designer, Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
Justin Kunz, Sandy, UT – Contemporary realist painter and graphic designer.
Michael Leidel, Marietta, GA – Graphic designer, acrylic and oil painter.
Richard Masters, Appleton, WI – Illustrator, Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh.
Erik Must, Lakewood, NJ – Illustrator.
John Nordyke, West Hartford, CT – Graphic designer, Assistant Professor, University of Hartford.
Garland “Neal” Taylor, Durant, OK – Western and historical illustrator in oils and sculpture.
Joanne C. Wasserman, Silver Spring, MD – Commercial designer and calligrapher.
Mary Beth Zeitz, Marlton, NJ – Graphic designer and illustrator.
ASSOCIATE DESIGNERS
Rebecca Armstrong – Illustration major, Virginia Commonwealth University.
Analee Kasudia – Graphic design major, Columbia College, Chicago.
Joseph LiCalzi – Bas–Relief study, Fleischer Art Memorial, the Frank Gasparro Studio, Philadelphia.
Amy Mortensen – Photographic illustration major, University of Connecticut, Storrs.
Patrick J. Quill – Marketing and art studio double major, University of Notre Dame.
Georgina Smigen–Rothkopf – Painting, drawing and illustration, The School of Art Institute of Chicag.