Arts & Entertainment
2 Chicagoans Among 2024 MacArthur ‘Genius Grant’ Winners
Chicago has a pair of newly minted geniuses.
Multimedia artist Ebony G. Patterson and fiction writer Ling Ma are among 22 scientists, artists and scholars who have been awarded the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation fellowship.
Nicknamed “the genius grant,” the fellowships are presented to extraordinarily talented and creative individuals who pursue “rigorous inquiry with aspiration and purpose.”
Both winning artists came to Chicago from other countries.
Multimedia artist Ebony G. Patterson is among 22 scientists, artists and scholars who have been awarded the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation fellowship. (Courtesy of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation)
Patterson was born in Kingston, Jamaica. Patterson makes opulent works that are often densely layered with bling — glitter, flashy fabric and jewelry. These large, tapestry-like pieces might blend painting, sculpture, textile and installation.
The MacArthur Foundation said Patterson creates “visually dazzling works that explore themes of visibility, beauty, race, class, violence, and regeneration.” Patterson is represented locally by the Monique Meloche Gallery.
Ma writes fiction and works as an assistant professor at the University of Chicago. Her debut novel, “Severance,” is an office satire that takes place after a deadly pathogen wipes out most of the population.
According to the MacArthur Foundation, Ma mixes “speculative and realistic modes of storytelling to throw into relief the surreal aspects of our contemporary condition.” Ma was born in Sanming in the Fujian province of China.
Fiction writer Ling Ma is among 22 scientists, artists and scholars who have been awarded the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation fellowship. (Courtesy of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation)
The fellows get $800,000 in unrestricted grants over a five-year period.
Given by the Chicago-based John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the fellowships enable recipients to pursue projects that otherwise may have been economically beyond their reach. No one may apply for a MacArthur Fellowship; the candidates are screened and selected without their knowledge.
Previous winners from Chicago include photographer Dawoud Bey, cellist and composer Tomeka Reid and artist and architect Amanda Williams.
For a full list of this year’s winners and winners from previous years, visit macfound.org.
Marc Vitali is the JCS Fund of the DuPage Foundation Arts Correspondent.
