Two artists from Chicago and one from Urbana are recipients of a prestigious national fellowship, which includes a $50,000 unrestricted cash award.
The 2024 United States Artists Fellowship grants, announced Tuesday morning, honor 50 artists from 23 states and Puerto Rico.
The annual initiative is the flagship program of the Chicago-based United States Artists organization, which has given more than $38 million to artists since 2006. The 2024 fellows specialize in work across 10 creative disciplines. The winners were chosen based on their artistic vision and perspective, and how much the grant will impact their lives and careers, according to a release.
Recipients may use the funding at their discretion, whether it furthers their work or allows them to pay for rent or other personal expenses. They are also provided with financial planning.
Two of the Illinois winners, architectural designer Maya Bird-Murphy and dance artist Erin Kilmurray, are based in Chicago.
Bird-Murphy is the founder and executive director of the Mobile Makers nonprofit, which makes design and skill-building workshops accessible to underrepresented communities. A faculty member at Boston Architectural College, she was recently selected to join the Experimental Design Lab Cohort, which is overseen by artist Theaster Gates and the Prada fashion house.
Kilmurray’s performance is described as “femme-foward,” with a focus on “women, queer folks, the underground and the underdog.” Her work has been seen everywhere from nightclubs and music venues to theatrical productions and the Chicago Museum of Art, where she premiered “the Function” as part of the “Chicago Performs” event. Her performance project “The Fly Honey Show” has been seen at Lollapalooza and Thalia Hall.
Kira Dominguez Hultgren is a textile artist based in Urbana. Their work is described as building looms “to weave into the frayed edges of lost language, culture, traditions and lives that were deliberately cut off in past generations.” This is often expressed in looms that include checkboxes and X’s.
Dominguez Hultgren has exhibited at institutions including the Lehmann Maupin gallery in New York and the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles. They are also an assistant professor at the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign.
