Young Jean Lee, Peggy Shaw and More Among United States Artists 2016 Fellows

United States Artists (USA) has announced the 2016 USA Fellowship Awards. This year, 46 artists across nine creative disciplines will receive unrestricted $50,000 cash awards. The awards honor their creative accomplishments and supports their ongoing artistic and professional development.

The 2016 Fellowships mark a decade of support from USA, which with this new class will have given out almost $25 million since its inception in 2006. 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, Crafts, Dance, Literature, Media, Music, Theater & Performance, Traditional Arts, and Visual Arts.

USA's 2016 Fellows were selected from over 500 artists nominated by their peers, and chosen by panels of experts in each discipline. The Fellowships allow artists to use the unrestricted funds for whatever they need most, and so to take risks and push their careers forward. Among past awardees are film director Barry Jenkins, composer David Lang, novelist Annie Proulx, playwright David Henry Hwang, choreographer Bill T. Jones, and visual artist Kara Walker.

"By supporting American artists, USA is supporting creativity, free expression, and a strong diverse culture. Our Fellows cross all ages, ethnicities, and stages in their careers," said United States Artists Interim President & CEO Sunny Fischer. "Each has a unique artistic voice that expands the creative environment of the United States. It is an honor to support these artists, contribute to their financial security, and to facilitate future works. We are encouraging the best of what American artists can achieve."

The 2016 USA Fellows will be celebrated in Chicago at USA's annual Artist Assembly March 27-29, 2017. The Assembly includes performances, artist presentations and opportunities for artists to give back by partnering with local not-for-profit organizations, community arts organizations, and schools that serve young art students.

USA's 2016 Fellows are:

ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN

· Janet Echelman, USA Barr Fellow (Brookline, MA)

· ShaRon Johnston & Mark Lee (Johnston Marklee), USA Oliver Fellows (Los Angeles, CA)

CRAFTS

· Vivian Beer, USA Windgate Fellow (Manchester, NH)

· Lauren Fensterstock, USA Barr Fellow (Portland, ME)

· Anna Hepler, USA Barr Fellow (Eastport, ME)

· Roberto Lugo, USA Barr Fellow (Marlboro, VT)

· Annabeth Rosen, USA Distinguished Fellow (Davis, CA)

· Piper Shepard, USA Distinguished Fellow (Baltimore, MD)

· April Surgent, USA Ford Fellow (Port Townsend, WA)

DANCE

· Michelle Dorrance, USA Doris Duke Fellow (Brooklyn, NY)

· Faye Driscoll, USA Doris Duke Fellow (Brooklyn, NY)

· Donna Uchizono, USA Doris Duke Fellow (New York, NY)

· Rosie Herrera, USA Sarah Arison Fellow (Miami, FL)

· Steve Paxton, USA Barr Fellow (East Charleston, VT)

· Yvonne Rainer, USA Doris Duke Fellow (New York, NY)

· Raphael Xavier, USA Knight Fellow (Philadelphia, PA)

LITERATURE

· Amitava Kumar, USA Ford Fellow (Poughkeepsie, NY)

· Claudia Rankine, USA Zell Fellow (Claremont, CA)

MEDIA

· Steven Paul Judd, USA Hatch Fellow (Norman, OK)

· Lynn Hershman Leeson, USA Smith Fellow (San Francisco, CA)

· Quique Rivera Rivera, USA Simon Fellow (Glendale, CA)

MUSIC

· Raven Chacon, USA Distinguished Fellow (Albuquerque, NM)

· Vijay Iyer, USA Cummings Fellow (New York, NY)

· Eddy Kwon, USA Ford Fellow (Cincinnati, OH)

· Mike Reed, USA Doris Duke Fellow (Chicago, IL)

· Dianne Reeves, USA Doris Duke Fellow (Denver, CO)

· Randy Weston, USA Doris Duke Fellow (Brooklyn, NY)

THEATER & PERFORMANCE

· Daniel Alexander Jones, USA Doris Duke Fellow (Bronx, NY)

· Miranda July, USA Doris Duke Fellow (Los Angeles, CA)

· Hirokazu Kosaka, USA Andrew W. Mellon Fellow (Torrance, CA)

· Young Jean Lee, USA Doris Duke Fellow (Brooklyn, NY)

· Jefferson Pinder, USA Joyce Fellow (Chicago, IL)

· Peggy Shaw, USA Doris Duke Fellow (New York, NY)

TRADITIONAL ARTS

· Teri Greeves, USA Distinguished Fellow (Santa Fe, NM)

· Cherice Harrison-Nelson, USA Distinguished Fellow (New Orleans, LA)

· Ernie Marsh, USA Katie Weitz Fellow (Lovell, WY)

· Vicky Holt Takamine, USA Doris Duke Fellow (Aiea, Hawaii)

VISUAL ARTS

· Charles Atlas, USA Gracie Fellow (New York, NY)

· Senga Nengudi, USA Ford Fellow (Colorado Springs, CO)

· Shirin Neshat, USA Rockefeller Fellow (New York, NY)

· Winfred Rembert, USA Barr Fellow (New Haven, CT)

· Laurie Jo Reynolds, USA Shari D. Behnke Fellow (Chicago, IL)

· Beatriz Santiago Muñoz, USA Ford Fellow (San Juan, PR)

· Jacolby Satterwhite, USA Francie Bishop Good & David Horvitz Fellow (Brooklyn, NY)

· Stanley Whitney, USA Jeanne & Michael Klein Fellow (New York, NY)

Founded in 2006 by the Ford, Rockefeller, Rasmuson and Prudential Foundations, USA is among the largest providers of unrestricted support to American artists. To date, USA has provided almost $25 million in the form of unrestricted $50,000 awards directly to nearly 500 artists working in the fields of Architecture & Design, Crafts, Dance, Literature, Media, Music, Theater & Performance, Traditional Arts, and Visual Arts. For more information on the 2016 USA Fellows, visit www.unitedstatesartists.org.

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