Hasta La Ideas

At the top of nearly every creative person’s holiday wish list? Unrestricted grant money. Santa came early for the 52 artists, designers, writers, musicians, dancers, and performers who have been awarded USA Fellowships for 2010. Each receives $50,000 from the national grant-making and advocacy organization United States Artists (USA), which has invested a total of $12.5 million in artists since 2006. Chosen for the caliber and impact of their work, the USA Fellows for 2010 include architects Teddy Cruz and Greg Lynn (pictured), graphic designer and Dot Dot Dot co-editor David Reinfurt, and furniture designer Matthias Pliessnig, whose last name shares the pleasing undulation of his boundary-pushing work. Among the awarded artists are Glenn Ligon, Dara Birnbaum, and Allison Smith. We’ve posted the full list (which includes a conceptual quilter and a creator of war-themed ceramics) below.

But what’s in this for me? You ask. In tandem with the Fellows announcement, USA unveiled USA Projects, a social network-cum-microphilanthropy site where people can connect with and support artists and their work. The new online community is dedicated exclusively to artists living and working in the United States, and they’ve recruited some impressive founding fundraisers. Photographer Catherine Opie and filmmaker Lisa Udelson are raising money to complete a documentary to raise awareness in the debate over gay marriage, and poet Wesley McNair is seeking funding to document his formative epistolary relationship with mentor Donald Hall. Since the beta launch of USA Projects in early May, more than 75 artists have posted projects and racked up $200,000 in pledges from approximately 1,500 supporters. Los Angeles furniture designer Tanya Aguiñiga raised $8,000 to launch a collaborative to help artisans in Mexico whose craft traditions are at risk and comic book author and artist Jim Woodring has raised more than $4,500 to fulfill his dream of building a giant steel tip pen for dramatic public performances. Write on!

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