SHEARWATER FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES 1987 HOLOGRAPHY AWARDS

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, DECEMBER 31, 1987 -- The Shearwater Foundation, of this city, announced today that its Board of Directors has made awards totaling $60,000 to six artists in holography, in recognition of their exemplary work in the field. The holographers, three from foreign countries and three from the United States, were each awarded $10,000 " to further their work and encourage the art of holography ".
The recipients were:

Margaret Benyon, England

Rudie Berkhout, Holland

Harriet Casdin-Silver, United States

Sam Moree, United States

Ruben Nunez, Venezuela

Daniel Schweitzer, United States

The Holography Project, which administers the award program for the Foundation, was initiated in 1987 to promote and further the development of art holography by bringing honor and recognition to the premier artists in the field. The 1987 awards, the first presented by the Foundation, honor those selected artists who have been active in the field for at least eight years and whose work has attained the highest caliber of artistic achievement. " These artists ", announced the Foundation's Board, "have provided the standard of excellence for the entire field."

The award recipients were selected by the Board of Directors at their annual meeting in December. Their names had been submitted previously by a confidential group of advisors hired by the Foundation to make recommendations from the world wide field of holographers. In keeping with the international scope of the Foundation, these advisors came from three countries and represented several disciplines within the medium. All have particular expertise in the 1987 area of funding.

Each year, it is the intent of the Shearwater Foundation to honor a group of. holographic artists who have a distinguished record of creative excellence. It is anticipated that the 1988 awards will honor holographers active in the field for at least five years. Advisors for the 1988 project will be selected in the spring and will submit their written recommendations to the Shearwater Board in the fall for final Board selection prior to year end. Up to ten awards may be given each year, but it is not known how many will be presented in 1988.

The Shearwater Foundation is one of few foundations in the United States currently funding artists working in holography. It is, perhaps, the only foundation world-wide that has set up a program to identify and support the highest artistic achievement in the field." The Foundation's Board is proud to have assumed a leadership position in the recognition and encouragement of art holographers through its award program. We salute those pioneering artists, honored by the 1987 Shearwater Holography Awards, who have furthered the art of holography through their individual and collective excellence."