Bill Rauch Named United States Artists Fellow

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Artistic Director Bill Rauch was honored today with 50 artists from across the country in receiving a $50,000 unrestricted grant. The winners will gather tonight at a celebration at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago.

This marks the third year of USA Fellowships, which provides direct support for artists by annually awarding fifty unrestricted grants of $50,000 to artists of all disciplines from across the country. The USA Fellows for 2008 come from 21 states and range in age from 31 to 82; they were chosen by panels of experts in each field in recognition of the caliber and impact of their work.

The USA Fellowship program was created to invest in America's artists and illuminate the value of artists to society. In a survey of attitudes toward artists in the U.S., results showed that a vast majority of Americans, 96%, said they were greatly inspired by various kinds of art and highly value art in their lives and communities. But the survey data also suggested a strange paradox. While Americans value art, the end product, they do not value what artists do. Only 27% of respondents believe that artists contribute "a lot" to the good of society. Further interview data from the study reflects a strong sentiment in the cultural community that society does not value art making as legitimate work worthy of compensation. Many perceive the making of art as a frivolous or recreational pursuit. USA hopes to help close the gap between the love of art and the ambivalence toward artists in society.

Rauch, who is in Chicago for the celebration, said, “I am humbled to have received this fellowship and to be in the company of my extraordinary fellow awardees. As an arts leader, I am most often focused on the organization that I am honored to lead, so this recognition for my work as an individual artist is both moving and galvanizing. I plan to share the award with Alison Carey, who runs OSF’s American Revolutions: the United States History Cycle and with whom I co-founded Cornerstone Theater Company. Together, we will use the funds to write a book on Cornerstone’s founding and early years.”

The USA Fellowships for 2008 include five in Architecture and Design; four in Crafts and Traditional Arts; five in Dance; nine in Literature (fiction, nonfiction, and poetry); six in Media (film and video); six in Music; five in Theater Arts; and 10 in Visual Arts.

Rauch and theater artists Karen Kandel, Will Power, Rosalba Rolón, and Jennifer Tipton are recipients of the Theater Arts Fellowships.

Through a rigorous evaluation process, panels of experts in the arts selected the 51 winning artists (including one collaborative pair) from among 362 nominated applicants from 44 states. USA Fellowships are awarded to artists who demonstrate artistic excellence, unique artistic vision, and significant contributions to their fields. The program honors artists at all stages of their careers, from emerging to mid-career to established figures in their fields.

For a complete list of the 2008 Fellows and more information about the program, visit: http://www.unitedstatesartists.org/Public2/USAFellows/index.cfm .

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