Bemidji-based Artist Fellows poet Erin Marsh and percussionist Eric Sundeen were selected on October 12, 2019, when a committee of established community artists and Region 2 Arts Council board members convened to review 12 Artist Fellowship applications. This award is intended for dedicated artists who have created a substantial independent body of work, and have received recognition for their work. More info here.
Erin Lynn Marsh is the author of the poetry collection Disability Isn’t Sexy, which is a finalist in the NM/AZ Book Awards. Her poems have appeared in Post Road Magazine, Sugar House Review, Paper Darts, Emrys Journal, and the anthology Hers: Poets Speak (while we still can), Vol. 2, edited by Jules Nyquist.
Erin shared in her application that she has recently started writing poems that contain elements of magical realism, explaining that by suspending both her own and her readers’ disbelief, she can communicate truths that can seem at odds with perceived reality. She notes her poems are often bold, honest, and specific; and that her goal is to create for her readers a moment in a body that is often considered “other” by our society. Erin Lynn Marsh lives and works in Bemidji, MN.
Eric Sundeen holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Percussion Performance from St. Cloud State University. He is the Percussion Instructor at Bemidji High School, and has been an Adjunct Professor of Percussion at Bemidji State University since 2005. Aside from his teaching duties, he runs drum circle clinics, is the Camp Director of the Lakes Area Drumset Camp, instructs at Headwaters Music and Arts, plays in the Bemidji Symphony Orchestra, and Bemidji Community Band.
Eric has performed throughout the United States, internationally in Mexico, England, Scotland, Whales, Ireland, Austria, the Czech Republic, Russia and Cuba. He has been a member of the Minneapolis-based percussion ensemble CRASH since 1997, and is a current member of the Bemidji-based band, Corey Medina and Brothers.
Eric Sundeen is active as a freelance musician, has been active as a studio percussionist with multiple local artists, is a percussion arranger and composer, and owns and operates a private home drum studio. He lives in Bemidji, Minnesota with his wife and sons.
Region 2 Arts Council Board of Directors and Staff would like to thank each of the Artist Fellowship applicants and congratulate Eric Sundeen and Erin Lynn Marsh as the 2019-2020 Artist Fellows!
The Region 2 Arts Council Artist Fellowship Award is made possible through the generous support of the McKnight Foundation.
r2arts.org 