By Milcah Tanimu
Four accomplished artists have been named recipients of this year’s MacArthur “genius” fellowships, prestigious awards that come with a substantial $800,000 grant paid out over a five-year period. The awardees are María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Raven Chacon, Carolyn Lazard, and Dyani White Hawk.
These four artists have earned recognition for their outstanding contributions to the art world, including participation in prestigious exhibitions like the Venice Biennale and the Whitney Biennial, as well as receiving a 2022 Pulitzer Prize.
The MacArthur “genius” fellowships are among the most esteemed awards in the United States, and they have a particularly substantial monetary prize, which is unmatched by any dedicated art award in the country.
María Magdalena Campos-Pons, whose work is currently on display in a comprehensive exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, creates a diverse range of art forms, including photographs, video installations, and performances. Her work is deeply rooted in her identity as a Cuban-born artist now living in the United States. Campos-Pons addresses various forms of violence, both historical and contemporary, in the context of both countries. Her work covers topics such as women’s labor, the history of the sugar trade, and its connections to slavery. Much of her art explores her Afro-Cuban heritage and the Lucumí religion.
Raven Chacon, a Diné-American artist and composer, made history by becoming the first Native American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2022. His work often explores the relationships between sound, memory, and place. His pieces have been presented in various formats, including live performances, drawings, videos, and documentation featured in gallery exhibitions. Chacon’s work was featured in the 2022 Whitney Biennial, and it is currently part of the “Indian Theater” exhibition at Bard College’s museum in Upstate New York, exploring the concept of performance in the art of Native American and First Nations artists.
Carolyn Lazard, whose work was showcased in the 2022 Venice Biennale, creates films and sculptures that delve into issues of accessibility and various forms of labor. Many of Lazard’s pieces have a minimalist and structuralist visual language while also addressing disability. She is interested in the labor that sustains human existence, particularly care work, which she explores in her art.
Dyani White Hawk (Sicangu Lakota) is renowned for her beaded paintings that draw inspiration from Western abstract art and Native American craft traditions. Through her work, White Hawk challenges the common attribution of abstract art’s origins to white artists, shedding light on the indigenous contributions to this art form. Some of her pieces were displayed alongside Raven Chacon’s in both the 2022 Whitney Biennial and “Indian Theater.”
