United States Artists (USA) is a grant-making organization dedicated to supporting America’s living artists working in a diverse array of disciplines. Catherine Sullivan (Season 4) and Kara Walker (Season 2) have been awarded the organization’s 2008 fellowship, which provides each of its 50 recipients an unrestricted grant of $50,000.
According to Artinfo.com, USA was established in 2005 in response to a study finding poor support structures for American artists. To become a USA Fellow, one must be nominated. Each year nominations for the award are made by an anonymous group of arts leaders, critics, scholars, and artists chosen by the organization. Nominators are asked to submit names of artists they believe show an extraordinary commitment to their craft. Eight other visual artists will receive the award this year: Terry Adkins; Michael Asher; Andrea Bowers; Deanna Dikeman; Barkley L. Hendricks; Tehching Hsieh; Rodney McMillian; and Martha Rosler.
