For Immediate Release				 	          April 19,1996
 
Lawrence University Artist Awarded Prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship 
 
 
	APPLETON, WIS. - Excited only begins to describe the emotions Todd
McGrain experienced when he found out he had been named one of the recipients of
a 1996 Guggenheim Fellowship.
	An assistant professor of art at Lawrence University, McGrain was one of
158 artists, scholars and scientists in the country chosen for the prestigious
fellowship from nearly 2,800 applications.  Guggenheim Fellowships are
selectively awarded on the basis of unusually distinguished achievement in the
past and exceptional promise for future accomplishment.  McGrain was one of only
three Guggenheim Fellows selected from a Wisconsin college.  Both of the other
two recipients were from the University of Wisconsin. 
	"I was truly elated when I received the letter," said McGrain, a member
of the Lawrence faculty since 1991.  
	The fellowship, worth $30,000, will enable McGrain to take a leave of 
his teaching duties for the 1996-97 academic year and pursue creative endeavors
of his choosing.  An artist specializing in large-scale wood and metal
construction, McGrain will use the fellowship "to continue some of the current
work I'm doing, start some new projects and just keep the ball rolling."  He
also intends to study critical writing germane to his field and visit museums
and galleries throughout the country.
	"The Guggenheim Fellowship is one of the most prestigious awards any 
scholar or artist can receive," said Richard Harrison, dean of the Lawrence
faculty.  "It is dramatic testimony, especially, to Todd McGrain's outstanding
artistic talent and imagination.  But it is also a powerful affirmation of the
quality of the liberal arts environment at Lawrence that a Guggenheim Fellow is
also a winner of an award for outstanding teaching here."
	McGrain, 34, was honored as Lawrence's outstanding young teacher at the
college's 1995 commencement. 
	Among McGrain's sculptures is the 11' x 19' fiberglass human heart that
he created for the Fox Cities Children's Museum in 1994.  His work, "Ball," a
white, five-foot-wide sphere constructed of bent mahogany, was selected "Best in
Show" at the 1994 ARC Regional Exhibition in Chicago.
	"This is a difficult field wrought with financial insecurity, 
significant material expenses and limited avenues for professional
recognition," said McGrain, a native of Rochester, N.Y.  "I'm very grateful for
the support of my family, Lawrence University, Kohler Arts-in-Industry program
and the Wisconsin Arts Board.  Without that support, I couldn't have produced
the work that made this opportunity possible."  
	McGrain was a resident in the Kohler Arts-in-Industry program in 1995 
and was a recipient of a Wisconsin Arts Board Fellowship last year.  He earned
his bachelor's degree in 1983 from Potsdam College, N.Y., and a master's degree
in fine arts in 1986 at the University of Wisconsin.



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