Dohee Lee, a recent winner of a Guggenheim Fellowship, and Christine Stewart, the poet laureate for the state of South Dakota, will serve as Heller Fellows for the 2020-21 academic year.
“Each year’s Hellow Fellows are selected by our faculty affiliates, and bring new excitement and new collaborative opportunities for our students, faculty and the Pikes Peak Region. This year is no exception,” said Minette Church, professor of anthropology and faculty director of the Heller Center for Arts and Humanities. “Dohee and Christine are at the top of their artistic forms and we hope that as we learn how to adapt to this pandemic, we will be able to welcome them to the beautiful surroundings of the Heller Center and Colorado Springs to interact with students and the public in a responsible and mutually rewarding way.”
“I think students will be intrigued with what Lee and Stewart offer through their artforms, which are aligned with the Heller Center’s mission and long-term vision,” said Rhonda Goodman-Gaghan, curator of the Heller Center. “We’re beyond excited about their upcoming visits.”
Lee is sponsored by Elliot Mercer, instructor of dance in the Visual and Performing Arts Department, and will be the Heller Fellow in the fall 2020 semester. Lee is a native of South Korea and spent much of her early life training in the practice of Korean traditional music and dance, and the ritual practices of Korean Shamanism. When she immigrated to the United States in 2002, Lee focused on combining his training in ancient shamanic ritual practices with post-modern performance styles and electronics.
Lee founded Dohee Lee Puri Arts in 2014 to enable community projects in the California Bay Area and for touring her multimedia performance pieces and teaching workshops. She is the recipient of multiple award and grant funds, including several Multi-Arts Production, or MAP, Fund awards
Stewart is sponsored by Catherine Grandorff, senior instructor of English, and will be the Heller Fellow for the spring 2021 semester. Stewart is a professor of English at South Dakota State University and will soon complete the first year of a four-year team as the state’s poet laureate. She has published five volumes of poetry: “Postcard on Parchment” (2008), “Keeping Them Alive” (2011), “Snow, Salt, Honey” (2012), “Untrussed” (2016) and “Bluewords Greening” (2016).
Stewart is the 2018 recipient of the Whirling Prize in Poetry from Ethic Press. She has served as a judge and facilitator for the Jerome Norgren Poetry Contest and Paul Witherington Prose Contest.
Fellows will host special events and undergraduate workshops during their stay in the guest house of the historic Heller Center during visits to campus. The UCCS Heller Center for the Arts & Humanities is housed in the Pueblo Revival home of artist Larry Heller that was donated to the university by his widow Dot upon her death and is located in the hills north of the central campus. The UCCS Heller Center for the Arts & Humanities preserves, engages, and explores the West of the imagination.