An Idaho Commission on the Arts Fellowship is one of the highest recognitions an artist can receive in this state. It’s a reward for talent, creativity and perseverance, and comes with a cash award with no strings attached for the artists to use to sustain their careers.

Every year, the fellowships — chosen by an out-of-state panel — cycle through the disciplines of performing, literary and visual arts. They’re given in conjunction with grants for folk and traditional arts apprenticeships, and arts grants for arts education and programs.

This year the ICA gave out a total of $570,000 to fund 88 projects and artists in 30 Idaho towns. The grants are matched by local communities.

“They’re a pretty extraordinary group this year,” says ICA director Michael Faison. As always, the fellowships and apprenticeships reflect the range of Idaho’s arts community and diversity hidden in the states’s culture.

Each ICA Fellow receives $5,000; each honorable mention receives $1,000.

NICOLE MOLUMBY, BOISE

Flutist Nicole Molumby came to Boise in 2007 as an associate professor of music at Boise State. She is an engaging teacher and an award-winning soloist.

She has traveled the world to collaborate with other musicians and composers, employing her music to transcend language barriers and create global connections.

Her latest project is to produce “Awakening,” a CD of contemporary Slovenian music, and establish these new works as part of the flute repertoire.

TONY OKUN, BOISE

Documentary filmmaker Tony Okun settled in Boise in 2007 and brought his Oh! Show production company with him.

He’s written, directed and produced three documentaries to date. His most recent film, “Time in the Minors,” follows two talented players — one a high school all-star, the other a six-year minor league veteran — as they negotiate their careers during one season.

Okun’s goal is to “create art through film and leave something behind ... that would make a difference in other people’s lives.”

CARL ROWE, BOISE

Dancer, choreographer, painter — Carl Rowe is one of Idaho’s Renaissance artists. He co-founded Idaho Dance Theatre, a contemporary company in residence at Boise State University, with Marla and Fred Hansen in 1989. Over the years, he has created some of the company’s most dynamic and intriguing modern works.

He also branched out in the 1990s into visual arts and is an accomplished painter, known for his evocative landscapes of the Boise Foothills.

Rowe received an ICA Fellowship honorable mention for painting in 1999, a full fellowship in dance in 2000 and a Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts Lifetime Achievement in 2002.

LEONARD GARRISON, MOSCOW

Flutist Leonard Garrison plays everything from modern classical works to Baroque chamber music. An associate professor of music at University of Idaho’s Lionel Hampton School of Music, he is a solo performer and chamber and symphony player. He is about to embark on a sabbatical and plans to further study his instrument on a global scale.

J. OMAR HANSEN, REXBURG

Playwright, composer and novelist J. Omar Hansen has written a long list of original and adapted musicals and plays for children and adult audiences.

He’s a professor of theater at BYU-Idaho, where he teaches a variety of theater disciplines and storytelling.

He’s currently working on a children’s book titled “The Ghosts of Eden Park.”

2013 HONORABLE MENTIONS

• BSU theater professor, actor and playwright Philip Atlakson received his award for filmmaking.

• Flutist Rhonda Bradtich of Sandpoint plays everything from Brazilian jazz to classical.

• Trey McIntyre Project dancer Lauren Edson of Boise received her award to further her freelance choreography.