The Board of Trustees of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation has named 171 scientists, writers, scholars, and artists as 2023 Guggenheim Fellows. The awardees were chosen from nearly 2,500 applicants working across 48 scholarly and artistic disciplines.
Established in 1925 by Senator Simon Guggenheim and his wife Olga in memory of their son John Simon Guggenheim, a young scholar who died at the age of 17, the Foundation seeks to support the development of scholars and artists “in any field of knowledge and creation in any of the arts, under the freest possible conditions.” According to the foundation’s website, Guggenheim Fellowships are awarded to mid-career individuals who have demonstrated the ability to produce high-level scholarship or creative ability.
Since its inception, the Foundation has awarded nearly $400 million in Fellowships to more than 18,000 individuals. The grant amounts vary, but typically range from $35,000 to $40,000. Last year, Texas recipients included filmmakers Ja’Tovia Monique Gary and Autumn Knight; artists Nathaniel Donnett, Joey Fauerso, and Lisa E. Harris; and photographers Keliy Anderson-Staley and Robert Bruce Langham III.
Artist Jamal Cyrus. Image courtesy PATRON Gallery, Chicago and Inman Gallery, Houston.
This year, two visual artists, Houston-based Jamal Cyrus and Dallas-based Evita Tezeno, are among the winners. Last year, Mr. Cyrus had a solo exhibition at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, and Ms. Tezeno was one of three Texas artists whose work was acquired by the Dallas Museum of Art through the Dallas Art Fair.
Evita Tezeno. Image courtesy of the artist.
In a press release, Edward Hirsch, President of the Guggenheim Foundation and 1985 Fellow in Poetry, stated, “Like Emerson, I believe that fullness in life comes from following our calling. The new class of Fellows has followed their calling to enhance all of our lives, to provide greater human knowledge and deeper understanding. We’re lucky to look to them to bring us into the future.”
To see the full list of awardees, visit the Guggenheim Foundation website.
