Photo courtesy Nicholas Kuszyk
Nicholas Kuszyk
2005, artist
“I ride my bike every day in Ridgewood, Queens. I’ve been able to sustain a modest career painting murals and selling work. I build forts and treehouses whenever possible. Occasionally I ride my bike deep in the woods. Life is nice when not focused on the world’s problems.”
Photo courtesy FEAST
FEAST
2006, mixed media/performance
Terral Bolton, Terry Brown, Sherry Griffin, C.J. Hawn, Stephanie Lundy and Chris Norris created often-provocative productions from 2003 to 2007. “I sense it’s almost time to get the band back together for our comeback album,” says Griffin, now a photographer in Austin, Texas.
Photo by Ash Daniel
Michele Young-Stone
2010, novelist
“Winning the Pollak was monumental,” says Michele Young-Stone, who now lives in the Outer Banks. “That recognition, and being able to share it with my family and the city I love, was the most gratifying thing in my career.” On April 10, her third novel, “Lost in the Beehive,” will be published.
Photo by Todd Wright
Eric Knight
2011, pen and ink drawing
His recent drawing, “The Orb,” at 8 1/2 by 11 inches, is the culmination of a year and a half and 1,500 hours. Chop Suey Books continues to offer Knight’s drawings and has featured an upstairs mini-gallery of his work. Knight observes, “And — most important — I think I’m doing my best work ever now. At 62.”
Photo by Spencer Turner
Eva Rocha
2015, multimedia artist
Receiving the Pollak, Eva Rocha says, came at a crucial time. “My career then was really fragile and emerging,” the MFA graduate of VCU says. She recently completed a residency at the Santa Fe Art Institute in New Mexico, and she’s installing a piece at Pine Camp Arts and Community Center in 2018.
