In largest fellowship to date, sixty artists working across ten disciplines receive unrestricted $50,000 fellowships.
CHICAGO —February 3, 2021—
United States Artists (USA) is pleased to announce its 2021 USA Fellows. This year, sixty artists across ten creative disciplines will receive unrestricted $50,000 cash awards. The award honors their creative accomplishments and supports their ongoing artistic and professional development. The 2021 USA Fellows class is the largest in the organization’s 15-year history. USA Fellowships are awarded to artists at all stages of their careers and from all areas of the country through a rigorous nomination and panel selection process. Fellowships are given in the following disciplines: Architecture & Design, Craft, Dance, Film, Media, Music, Theater & Performance, Traditional Arts, Visual Art, and Writing. Past awardees include painter and visual artist Howardena Pindell (2020), documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras (2010), writer Teju Cole (2015), potter Roberto Lugo (2016), multimedia artist Paul Chan (2007), dancer and choreographer Alice Sheppard (2019), fashion designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte (2009), filmmaker Barry Jenkins (2012), master Mardi Gras suitmaker Darryl Montana (2014), poet Claudia Rankine (2016), and multidisciplinary artist Martha Rosler (2008). "We are grateful for every artist whose artmaking, music, writing, and more is helping us to navigate and cope through this harrowing time in our country," said USA President & CEO Deana Haggag. “The 2021 USA Fellows are a testament to the power of art in shaping the world around us and navigating its complexities. Artists do so much for our communities, and we are grateful to be able to support these sixty incredible practitioners and welcome them into the United States Artists Fellowship.” The USA Fellowship is the organization’s flagship program and is central to its mission of believing in artists and their essential role in society. In many ways, 2020 has shown the resilience and necessity of that mission, and the organization. As a founding partner of Artist Relief, United States Artists helped to distribute over $20 million in direct funding to nearly 4,000 artists in need. United States Artists also administered the Ford Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s Disability Futures initiative and is working on similar funds that are planned to be announced this year, as the organization works to deepen and diversify its cultural impact. “Artists are at the core of their communities, and as the difficulties of the past year have demonstrated, it is more important than ever that we continue to support individual artists,” said Ed Henry, USA Board Chair. “And as we continue to meet the challenges 2021 will bring, it is also clear that USA must remain nimble and responsive to the needs of the field, which is why we are honored to be able to support the largest cohort in our history with sixty artists this year.” Edwidge Danticat, a 2020 Writing Fellow, said, “From the beginning of my career, I have always benefited from the generous support of others, be it the use of a family member’s house, or advice from older and more experienced writers, or grants and prizes that have gifted me the time to concentrate on my work. Now more than ever, artists need the kind of support offered by United States Artists, not just for continuity and growth, but also for safety and survival.”
Since 2006, the USA Fellowship has provided direct support to artists across the country. With this unrestricted award, Fellows decide for themselves how to best use the money—whether it is creating new work, paying rent, reducing debt, getting healthcare, or supporting their families. To make its work possible, United States Artists actively fundraises each year and is supported by a broad range of philanthropic foundations, companies, and individuals committed to cultivating contemporary culture across the country.
The 2021 USA Fellows are: unitedstatesartists.org of 2 3
Architecture & Design Jennifer Bonner / MALL Portland, OR Walter Hood Oakland, CA Olalekan Jeyifous Brooklyn, NY
Craft Diedrick Brackens Los Angeles, CA Bisa Butler West Orange, NJ Amber Cowan Philadelphia, PA Salvador Jiménez-Flores Chicago, IL Cannupa Hanska Luger Glorieta, NM Tiff Massey Detroit, MI Erin M. Riley Brooklyn, NY
Dance Ishmael Houston-Jones New York, NY JanpiStar Oakland, CA Emily Johnson New York, NY Cynthia Oliver Urbana, IL Ni’Ja Whitson Los Angeles, CA Film Faren Humes Miami, FL Macha Colón San Juan, Puerto Rico Stephen Maing New York, NY Darius Clark Monroe Brooklyn, NY Naima Ramos-Chapman Brooklyn, NY Jennifer Reeder Chicago, IL and Hammond, IN
Media Morehshin Allahyari Brooklyn, NY Stephanie Dinkins Brooklyn, NY Lauren Lee McCarthy Los Angeles, CA Mother Cyborg Detroit, MI Music Martha Gonzalez Los Angeles, CA Edward “Kidd” Jordan New Orleans, LA Tomeka Reid Chicago, IL Wadada Leo Smith New Haven, CT Mazz Swift Brooklyn, NY
Theater & Performance Jibz Cameron Los Angeles, CA Carmelita Tropicana New York, NY Christopher Chen San Francisco, CA Sandra Delgado Chicago, IL Idris Goodwin Colorado Springs, CO Mia Katigbak New York, NY Karen Zacarías Washington, DC
Traditional Arts Ofelia Esparza East Los Angeles, CA Nathan P Jackson Ketchikan, AK Basil Kincaid St. Louis, MO Kawika Lum-Nelmida Honolulu, HI Carolyn L. Mazloomi West Chester, OH Geo Soctomah Neptune Motahkomikuk, ME Delina White Walker, MN
Visual Art Njideka Akunyili Crosby Los Angeles, CA Lex Brown Philadelphia, PA rafa esparza Los Angeles, CA Maria Gaspar Chicago, IL Sharon Hayes Philadelphia, PA Carolyn Lazard Philadelphia, PA Daniel Lind-Ramos Loíza, Puerto Rico Aki Sasamoto New York, NY
Writing Alexander Chee Bradford, VT Eve L. Ewing Chicago, IL Honorée Fanonne Jeffers Norman, OK Dunya Mikhail Sterling Heights, MI Elizabeth McCracken Austin, TX Natalie Y. Moore Chicago, IL Danez Smith Minneapolis, MN Ocean Vuong Northampton, MA
700 individuals with over $33 million of direct support.
PRESS CONTACTS
Hunter Braithwaite Director, Cultural Counsel hunter@culturalcounsel.com
Robert Grand Account Coordinator, Cultural Counsel robert@culturalcounsel.com
Lynnette Miranda Program Director, United States Artists lynnette@unitedstatesartists.org
Kate Blair Communications Coordinator, United States Artists kab@unitedstatesartists.org
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