Six Artists Awarded MacArthur “Genius” Grants

The MacArthur Foundation has announced the latest recipients of its prestigious MacArthur Fellowships, often referred to as “genius grants,” on October 8. The 2025 cohort includes six visual artists and photographers among 22 total awardees. Each fellow receives an unrestricted financial award of $800,000 distributed over five years, intended to support their innovative work without the requirement of specific projects or evaluations.

The recipients include:

– **Matt Black:** A photographer based in California, he utilizes black-and-white imagery to document the effects of economic inequity across the U.S., focusing particularly on rural communities and issues like climate change and mining.

– **Garrett Bradley:** A Louisiana artist and filmmaker, Bradley explores themes of racial oppression and public memory through film, photography, and visual essays by blending fiction, fact, and archival materials.

– **Jeremy Frey:** A Passamaquoddy basketmaker known for combining traditional Wabanaki techniques with modern materials. His work highlights the potential loss of materials due to climate change.

– **Tonika Lewis Johnson:** A Chicago-based photographer and social justice artist, her projects, such as the Folded Map Project, expose disparities in urban infrastructure and resources, while fostering revitalization through art.

– **Tuan Andrew Nguyen:** An artist from Saigon, Nguyen engages with film, installation, and sculpture to address the trauma of colonialism and war, fostering intergenerational healing.

– **Gala Porras-Kim:** An interdisciplinary artist whose research-based practice critiques how cultural artifacts are preserved and displayed, assessing their separation from original contexts.

The list of awardees also includes a diverse range of professionals from fields such as cartography, fiction writing, and anthropology.

This no-strings-attached fellowship has been awarded since 1981 to people across various fields, serving as an investment in their potential and originality. The prize aims to empower artists and innovators by providing them with the freedom to pursue their groundbreaking work.