Fellowships worth $50,000 each were awarded by the United States Artists (USA) at its 4th annual celebration this week in Santa Monica. Winners were selected from a pool of 348 nominated applicants from all career stages who demonstrate artistic excellence, unique artistic vision, and significant contributions to their fields.

Categories include Architecture and Design, Crafts and Traditional Arts, Dance, Literature, Media, Music, Theater Arts and Visual Arts.

The following artists were awarded in the Architecture and Design category: Neil Denari, USA California Community Foundation Fellow, Los Angeles, California; Laura Kurgan, USA Rockefeller Fellow, New York, New York; Rick Lowe, USA Booth Fellow, Houston, Texas; and Kate Mulleavy and Laura Mulleavy, USA Target Fellows, Pasadena, California.

“Artists fuel the nation’s cultural vitality and illuminate the issues and complexities of our time,” said Susan V. Berresford, USA board chair and former president of the Ford Foundation. “Yet many of our country’s finest artists struggle to make ends meet. Now more than ever, we need a resource like United States Artists to invest in working artists and promote their contributions to society.”

Chosen for the caliber and impact of their work, USA Fellows include both contemporary experimenters and traditional practitioners; they represent a diverse spectrum of cultural, stylistic, and geographic perspectives.

“These creative individuals are in turn contributing to their communities and producing art that inspires, provokes, and informs global audiences. We are extremely proud to honor our nation’s best with USA Fellowships and, with this honor, provide essential funding so they can continue to develop exceptional work,” said USA Executive Director Katharine DeShaw.