The fellows will receive $50,000 unrestricted awards to use however they see fit to support their artistic work, whether that is through direct investment in artistic materials or covering other necessities to give them the time and space to work on their art. The categories in which the artist work are Architecture & Design, Craft, Dance, Film, Media, Music, Theater & Performance, Traditional Arts, and Visual Art, and Writing. Past recipients include Kara Walker, Alexander Chee, Theaster Gates, Nick Cave, Ocean Vuong, and Claudia Rankine. This year’s cohort come from 23 different states and Puerto Rico. This year, USA has chosen six writing fellows to award: Chen Chen, Leroy F. Moore Jr., Dawn Lundy Martin, Kiese Laymon, Emmy Pérez, and Grace Talusan.
The 2022 USA Fellows Reading List
USA’s Future
The themes of this year’s writers are wide, but many of them do focus on the experience of growing up in America in a marginalized community. All of these writers have a vested interest in tackling American history in a nuanced way. Overall, USA is working to widening their pool of artists from all backgrounds. This year’s cohort includes the largest percentage of Native and Indigenous artists, as well as artists with disabilities, in the organization’s history. As USA continues to grow and affirm the essential role of art in our society, it’s exciting to see what kind of voices they will be able to lift up.
