The Jersey City Independent "

Veronica Juyoun Byun works in her Monroe Center studio. Photo by Jon Whiten

Jersey City ceramic artist Veronica Juyoun Byun didn’t believe it when she saw the email from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts congratulating her on her selection for a 2009 Artist Fellowship for $7,000.

“I had to send the email to my friend to make sure I was reading it right,” Byun says. “I was actually surprised to find my work chosen.”

Iyanna Jones, a writer living downtown, says her notification almost got lost in the shuffle. “As an artist you apply for so many different grants — I almost deleted the congratulations email,” she explains.

Their surprise aside, Byun and Jones joined Jersey City artists Roger Sayre, Juliana Beasley, and J Carpenter as recipients of the 2009 fellowships — chosen by peer review in a blind process from a pool of 460 applicants.

“From an inspirational and spiritual standpoint it’s definitely validating” Jones says. “Creativity and the desire to express yourself is a need that leads to greater understanding … I commend the state for recognizing that need.”

The Council on the Arts awarded 26 fellowships totaling $199,800 late last month to individual artists working throughout the state to better enable them to produce new work, advance their careers and impact the community. Of those 26, five are from Jersey City — the highest number of any city.

“Jersey City boasts a dynamic and growing arts and cultural industry and is home to some extraordinary arts organizations and a significant, vibrant community of working artists,” says the arts council’s executive director Steve Runk.

The financial awards, which range from $7,000-$12,000, are especially appreciated now, at a time when funding for the arts is in question and local arts institutions are struggling to find support for their programming.

“In today’s challenging world the arts can be a powerful tool with which to address our most pressing issues both on the local level and nationally,” state arts council chair Carol Ann Herbert says. “In the case of the economy, we know the arts industry is an economic engine that generates $1.5 million in the state’s economy each year and returns $36 million in state tax revenues.”

For photographer Juliana Beasley, the award money will be put to use immediately: she is preparing a book six years in the making called: Last Stop: Rockaway Park, and will use some of her fellowship funds to create a mock-up to send to publishers. She’s also getting ready for two upcoming shows in Chelsea.

Byun is excited about finally being able to complete some of her ceramic works after a broken kiln halted her production.

Photographer Roger Sayre will use his funds to help pay for studio rent and time in a color darkroom. “The relief of that financial burden takes away a lot of stress,” he says.

While the fellowships will allow these talented local artists to focus on the development of their careers, the winners also hope that it is just the first step towards broader local and national support for the arts.

“Hopefully this recognition will help bring some more attention to Jersey City’s artists,” Sayre says. “Perhaps it will lead to more resources for us.”

Beasley echoes that sentiment. “My hope is, of course, that there will be more opportunities in the future for New Jersey artists and more publicity of the great wealth of creativity in this state,” she says.

Byun hopes the fellowships can help show that creative people are still living and working in Jersey City, even after the demise of 111 1st St., which many recognized as the loss of the soul of the city’s arts community.

“The last several years a lot of artists have moved out of downtown Jersey City because they weren’t getting the attention they needed,” she says. “I hope I can draw attention to the fact that art is still alive here.”

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