Philly directors, furniture designer, Pa. actor honored

Two fellowships of $50,000 each, announced by a Los Angeles-based arts organization on Tuesday, have been won by Philadelphia artists.

One award went jointly to Gabriel Quinn Bauriedel, Dan Rothenberg, and Dito van Reigersberg, the artistic directors of the Pig Iron Theatre Company. The other was made to furniture designer Matthias Pliessnig.

The unrestricted fellowships were presented by United States Artists, a grant-making and advocacy organization. Since launching the program in 2006, USA has bequeathed 50 fellowships a year to artists from all over the country.

In 2010, grants went to artists from 18 states and Puerto Rico, the organization said, and represent virtually all disciplines.

In addition to the Pig Iron artistic directors and Pliessnig, one other Pennsylvania artist received an award, given out Tuesday evening at Lincoln Center in New York - actor and director Gerard Stropnicky, one of the founding members of the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble.

The awards are given in recognition of general artistic excellence.

Pig Iron, founded in 1995, is known for its unpredictability. The group has created 25 works in a variety of styles, including black comedy, melodrama, gallery installations, and clown shows.

The group has won two Obie Awards and was named Theater Company of the Year by Philadelphia Weekly in 2006.

Furniture designer Pliessnig works primarily with steamed bentwood strips. Utilizing 3-D modeling software to sketch curves, Pliessnig handcrafts his pieces into forms that cradle the body. He has received grants from the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation and the Joan Mitchell Foundation.