How to Support the Arts? Give $2.5 Million to Creative Souls

It's tough being an artist in this country. Funding and appreciation are hard to come by, and the market for one's work is tight and capricious. Great news, then, that an organization with artists' best interests in mind has announced its fifth year of fellowships for artists of all types, according to a press release (PDF).

United States Artists (USA) has awarded 50 unrestricted grants of $50,000 each to creative souls from around the country ranging in age from 28 to 82. USA announced the grants, totaling $2.5 million, at a celebration on Monday in Los Angeles.

The USA Fellows, who represent creative fields that includes potters, fashion designers and folk musicians, were selected for the "caliber and impact" of what they do. A panel of experts put the 348 applicants from 45 states through a rigorous evaluation process, awarding artists "of all career stages who demonstrate artistic excellence, unique artistic vision, and significant contributions to their fields."

The list of 2009 USA Fellows includes hula master Hokulani Holt-Padilla from Wailuku, Hawaii; poet and novelist Sapphire from Brooklyn, NY, whose novel, Push, was adapted for the silver screen in the recent film Precious; Mary Shaffer from Taos, NM, a founder of the American Studio Glass movement; and actor and playwright Anna Deavere Smith from New York, NY.

“Artists fuel the nation’s cultural vitality and illuminate the issues and complexities of our time,” said Susan V. Berresford, chairwoman of the USA Board, in the release. “Yet many of our country’s finest artists struggle to make ends meet. Now more than ever, we need a resource like United States Artists to invest in working artists and promote their contributions to society.”

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