Often referred to by the media as the MacArthur “Genius Grant,” this American fellowship recognizes exceptional creativity in the arts and sciences, providing a five-year grant of $625,000 to individual fellows. Named for late business man John MacArthur and his wife Catherine, the award was established with the intention of “identifying creative individuals with extraordinary promise for significant accomplishment,” and allowing them to thrive without, as founding board member William T. Kirby stated, “the annoyances and distractions imposed by grant applications, reviewing committees, and pressure to publish.” Previous MacArthur Fellows throughout the years include philosopher David Hawkins, filmmaker Errol Morris, …
Often referred to by the media as the MacArthur “Genius Grant,” this American fellowship recognizes exceptional creativity in the arts and sciences, providing a five-year grant of $625,000 to individual fellows. Named for late business man John MacArthur and his wife Catherine, the award was established with the intention of “identifying creative individuals with extraordinary promise for significant accomplishment,” and allowing them to thrive without, as founding board member William T. Kirby stated, “the annoyances and distractions imposed by grant applications, reviewing committees, and pressure to publish.” Previous MacArthur Fellows throughout the years include philosopher David Hawkins, filmmaker Errol Morris, writer Susan Sontag and novelist Octavia E. Butler. Art-focused recipients include painter and installation artist Robert Irwin, sculptor James Turrell, multimedia artist Kara Walker, Ida Applebroog, Fred Wilson, Liza Lou, and Sarah Sze.