Foundation News

The James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation is thrilled to announce the recipients of the 2025 Spark Award for Oregon Artists. In this second year of our three-year pilot program, the Foundation welcomed applications from artists in the literary and media arts and received 293 applications.

The Foundation will award $25,000 to each of the twenty mid-career artists receiving the Spark Award this year, providing flexible funding for their overall creative development. This investment in individual artists is inspired by the Foundation’s belief that the arts connect us to each other in powerful and surprising ways and help us make sense of our world. By celebrating the vital role artists play in enriching the lives of all Oregonians, the Foundation recognizes that artists are essential to our state’s vitality.

The recipients of the 2025 Spark Award in the Literary and Media Arts are:

·        Stephanie Adams-Santos, Interdisciplinary - Literary/Media

·        Robert Arellano, Interdisciplinary - Literary/Media

·        Erica Berry, Literary

·        Jesse Blanchard, Media

·        Devon Fredericksen, Literary

·        Masami Kawai, Media

·        Lydia Kiesling, Literary

·        Karina Lomelin Ripper, Media

·        Jacy Mairs, Media

·        Ernesto Javier Martinez, Media

·        Shay Mirk, Literary

·        Daniela Naomi Molnar, Interdisciplinary - Literary/Media

·        Susan Leslie Moore, Literary

·        Michelle Ruiz Keil, Literary

·        Sophia Shalmiyev, Literary

·        Dao Strom, Interdisciplinary - Literary/Media

·        Kevin Truong, Media

·        Gabriel Urza, Literary

·        David F. Walker, Literary

·        Claire Willett, Literary

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Read more about each recipient in the artist profiles here.

This second cohort of Spark Awardees was selected by a panel of twenty-four national and Oregon-based literary and media arts professionals. The panelists were chosen for expertise within their discipline, and in alignment with the genres identified in the applicant pool. They assessed applications with a detailed set of review criteria – skill, original output, audience engagement and midcareer stage – to ensure that the awardee roster represents the goals and spirit of the Spark Award. The Foundation considers the Spark Award an important investment in both artists and communities throughout Oregon.

Thank you to our panelists for lending their expertise in the literary and media arts:

Chris Abani, Samiya Bashir, Sindya Bhanoo, Maya S. Cade, Dr. Adrienne Christian, David Nikki Crouse, Geri Doran, Warren Etheredge, Alexandra Fredricks, Michele Glazer, Julia Gunnison, Vee Hua, Christopher Jennings, Mat Johnson, Susan Kirtley, Kasey (K.) Silem Mohammad, Lee Montgomery, Vi Khi Nao, Eugene Sun Park, Drew Pisarra, Jon Raymond, Juan Carlos Reyes, Stan Shields, and Ben Waterhouse.

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Images from top to bottom and left to right (photo credit in parentheses):

Stephanie Adams-Santos (by Stephanie Adams-Santos), Robert Arellano (by Ezra Marcos), Erica Berry (by K.B. Dixon), Jesse Blanchard (by Taylor Stump), Devon Fredericksen (by June Lion Photography), Masami Kawai (by Brandy Even Allen), Lydia Kiesling (by Erica J. Mitchell), Karina Lomelin Ripper (by Samantha Ortega), Jacy Mairs (by Sophia Phoenix), Ernesto Javier Martínez (by Ernesto Javier Martínez), Shay Mirk (by Jamie Thrower), Daniela Naomi Molnar (by Michael Johnson), Susan Leslie Moore (by Susan Leslie Moore), Michelle Ruiz Keil (by Michelle Ruiz Keil), Sophia Shalmiyev (by K.B. Dixon), Dao Strom (by Sam Rivas), Kevin Truong (by Kevin Truong), Gabriel Urza (by David Hanson), David F. Walker (by David F. Walker), Claire Willett (by Alice Smith).