Massachusetts woodworkers gain fellowship awards

Two Massachusetts woodworkers — Silas Kopf of Northampton and Jack Mauch of Allston — were presented with Artist Fellowship awards from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

The council has awarded 16 fellowships so far this year, which includes a $12,000 cash prize. There were another 16 finalists, each receiving $1,000.

Kopf and Allston were honored in the craft category. Kopf has been making studio furniture since 1973, decorated with traditional marquetry methods, and his work is in museums and private collections around the world. Mauch makes furniture and metalware.

Kopf says he received a similar award from the council about 25 years ago and appreciates the organization’s mission to support artists.

“It’s a nice acknowledgement of career achievement,” Kopf says. “I think this fellowship program has been going on since the mid-70s and Massachusetts is one of the few states I know of in the country that is still actively supporting people with this kind of grant. With all of the potential cutbacks we’re seeing in some similar organizations, at least we see our state stepping up to the plate wanting to encourage creativity.”

The council will present more fellowships in the categories of film and video, music composition, and photography later this year.

For more, visit www.massculturalcouncil.org.

This article originally appeared in the June 2017 issue.