DOLPHIN PROGRAM

The Dolphin Fellowship

The Dolphin Fellowship has been established to encourage artists to create more award-winning paintings and for the advancement of the art of watercolor. The AWS had come of age, and we feel this fellowship will add new luster to the American Watercolor Society.

Unlike some fellowships where candidates have to be sponsored by other Fellows to achieve membership, membership in the Dolphin Fellowship is obtained by merit alone in accordance with the point system. The points required to be a Fellow are five and must be won by AWS members at one or more of our national annual exhibitions.

The awards and their point value:

Gold Medal of Honor: 5 points
Silver Medal of Honor: 4 points
Bronze Medal of Honor: 3 points
Other Medals: 2 points
An award: 1 point

A miniature pin of the Dolphin Medal will be available to any member of the AWS who has won five or more points in our exhibition. They will be entitled to use the AWS D. F. initials after their names.

As much as we would like to, we cannot do all the research to determine who is eligible for one of the dolphin Pins. Members must furnish the dates of the awards and send them to:

American Watercolor Society
Attn: Judi Betts, Chair, Dolphin Fellowship
47 Fifth Ave
New York, NY 10003

The Dolphin Medal

The Dolphin Medal (distinct from the Dolphin Fellowship) will be awarded to a person, persons or even to organizations making outstanding contributions to art — especially to watercolor and AWS. This is not an award for painting. The recipient of the Medal shall become an honorary Member of the Society.

In 2006 the Dolphin Medal Award went to Joe Miller for his outstanding efforts to promote the art of watercolor through his generous philanthropic works on behalf of all water media artists and their societies.

In 2017, the medal was awarded to Honorary Vice-President Nancy Bercow for providing years of dedicated office support on a volunteer basis.

Medal designed and sculpted by Mario Cooper
Design (of both Pin and Medal) created and sculpted by Mario Cooper

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dolphin Medalists

Robert Beverly Hale 1981
Joseph Veach Noble 1982
Mario Cooper 1983
Ogden Pleissner 1984
Millard Sheets 1986
Dong Kingman 1987
Alfredo Guati Rojo 1990
Chen Chi 1992
Andrew Wyeth 1994
Serge Hollerbach 1998
Dale Meyers 2000
Joe Miller 2006
Nancy Bercow 2017