Pulitzer Prize finalist playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes, who was a Tony Award nominee for In the Heights and penned the play Elliot, a Soldier's Fugue, is one of several fellowship recipients from the world of theatre. Rajiv Joseph, another USA recipient, is also a Pulitzer finalist for his play Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, which will star Robin Williams when it plays Broadway this spring. The list of USA fellows includes practitioners from the fields of architecture and design, crafts and traditional arts, dance, literature, film and media, music, theatre arts and visual arts.
The USA fellows named from theatre arts are:
Julie Archer, USA Ford Fellow, New York, NY
Gabriel Quinn Bauriedel, Dan Rothenberg and Dito van Reigersberg, USA Knight Fellows, Philadelphia, PA
Carlyle Brown, USA Friends Fellow, Minneapolis, MN
Danny Hoch, USA Ford Fellow, Brooklyn, NY
Quiara Alegría Hudes, USA Fontanals Fellow, New York, NY
Rajiv Joseph, USA Rockefeller Fellow, Brooklyn, NY
Gerard Stropnicky, USA Lowe Fellow, Danville, PA
United States Artists officially announced this year's USA Fellows at a Dec. 7 celebration at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. Visit www.unitedstatesartists.org/2010event.
This marks the fifth year of the USA Fellows program and brings the total that USA has invested in living artists to $12.5 million since 2006. "Chosen for the caliber and impact of their work," according to the Dec. 7 announcement, the USA Fellows for 2010 come from 19 states and Puerto Rico and range in age from 32 to 71. How are the fellowship recipients chosen? Panels of experts in each artistic discipline selected the 52 winning artists (including one collaborative) from among 302 nominated applicants from 46 states. USA Fellowships are awarded to artists of all career stages who demonstrate artistic excellence, unique artistic vision, and significant contributions to their fields.
United States Artists also announced the launch of USA Projects, a new online community at www.unitedstatesartists.org "where people can connect with, learn about, and support America's greatest artists and their next creative breakthroughs." USA Projects is billed as the first "microphilanthropy" site dedicated exclusively to artists living and working in the United States, where anyone can discover original projects and make tax-deductible donations to support their work.
Since the limited alpha launch of USA Projects in early May, more than 75 artists have posted diverse projects, and to date $200,000 has been pledged by more than 1,500 supporters. Participating artists include choreographers Eiko & Koma, Ronald K. Brown, and Joanna Haigood; visual artists Zoe Strauss and Charles Gaines; guitarist Bill Frisell; pipa virtuoso Wu Man; designer Stephen Burks, and theatre artists Marc Bamuthi Joseph and Rhodessa Jones.
United States Artists is also kicking off a $50 million endowment and capital campaign to fund the USA Fellows program in perpetuity. The organization announced that it has received lead gifts totaling $14 million from the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Rasmuson Foundation, and Todd and Betiana Simon Foundation.
