{"id":16698,"date":"2024-09-04T20:44:15","date_gmt":"2024-09-04T20:44:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artsandscience.org\/?p=16698"},"modified":"2024-09-05T13:31:03","modified_gmt":"2024-09-05T13:31:03","slug":"poet-deangelo-dias-15000-creative-renewal-fellowship-provided-everything-hed-hoped-and-then-some","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artsandscience.org\/poet-deangelo-dias-15000-creative-renewal-fellowship-provided-everything-hed-hoped-and-then-some\/","title":{"rendered":"Poet de\u2019Angelo DIA\u2019s $15,000 Creative Renewal Fellowship provided everything he\u2019d hoped \u2013 and then some"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Poet de\u2019Angelo DIA\u2019s $15,000 Creative Renewal Fellowship provided everything he\u2019d hoped \u2013 and then some<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\"2024
2024 ASC Creative Renewal Fellowship recipient de\u2019Angelo DIA<\/figcaption><\/figure>
By PAGE LEGGETT<\/strong><\/h5>

If anyone needed renewal \u2013 and deserved some R&R \u2013 it was de\u2019Angelo DIA<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>

For the past 25 years, he\u2019s been what he called \u201ctri-vocational.\u201d He\u2019s divided his time among three roles \u2013 educator, clergyman and professional artist. He shared that in his application for a 2024 ASC Creative Renewal Fellowship.<\/p>

He added, \u201cI decided to step away from the constraints of a 9-5 and pursue a career as a full-time artist beginning in 2024. The Creative Renewal Fellowship is a restorative opportunity that will contribute not only to my understanding of my voice as a poet, but also to expanding my reach as an ambassador of the arts in Charlotte.\u201d<\/p>

DIA has support from a wide range of impressive poets in the Carolinas \u2013 Jaki Shelton Green<\/strong><\/a>, North Carolina\u2019s poet laureate; Glenis Redmond<\/strong><\/a>, the poet laureate for Greenville, South Carolina; Jay Ward<\/strong><\/a>, Charlotte\u2019s poet laureate; and Angelo Geter<\/strong><\/a>, Rock Hill\u2019s poet laureate.\u00a0<\/p>

A list of themes his poetry deals with is lengthy, too \u2013 the rise and fall of athletes of color, grief as a reaction to the abuse of power and authority, mass incarceration, the psychology of parenting.<\/p>

His influences? It\u2019s another long list that includes \u201ccomic book mythology, theological imagination and contemplation, poet and performance artist Saul Williams, writer Shel Silverstein, artist Jean-Michel Basquiat and poet Nikki Giovanni.\u201d<\/p>

\u2018Power, passion and vision\u2019 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

The review committee liked what they saw in DIA\u2019s application. They awarded him the full $15,000 he requested.<\/p>

Ivan Garnica, ASC\u2019s grant manager, said one reviewer wrote, \u201cI love the power, passion, vision and hope he expresses throughout the application.\u201d Another wrote: \u201cHis desire to grow and evolve his discipline in an innovative and interesting manner aligns completely with the stated goals and requirements of the grant.\u201d<\/p>

DIA sought to use the grant exactly as intended. The program overview from the ASC website<\/strong><\/a> reads, \u201cThe Creative Renewal Fellowship is intended to provide a structured period of rest and creative exploration for vocational artists. The fellowship funds can be used for research, instruction, conferences, apprenticeships, travel or other experiences that help the recipient explore their creative journey.\u201d<\/p>

Garnica said, \u201cThe purpose of this fellowship is to provide space for research, an apprenticeship, skill-building in a craft you really haven\u2019t developed. Many Fellows want to explore a completely new genre or medium and then weave what they\u2019ve learned into their regular discipline.\u201d<\/p>

DIA was among them. He found the Cadence Video Poetry Festival<\/strong><\/a>, which offered workshops, panels and tutorials on how to construct video poems. That\u2019s the direction he wants to go next.<\/p>

From Rhinebeck to Chile<\/strong><\/p>

DIA hoped to accomplish three primary things with his fellowship: Self-care, time to explore new poetic forms and an opportunity to meet and network with poets he admired. He curated his own course of study that the grant allowed him to pursue.<\/p>