United States Artists, a Chicago-based arts funding foundation that has awarded more than $36 million to artists across the country since 2016, has announced that Nina Cooke John is one its 63 fellows for 2022.
The fellows will receive unrestricted $50,000 cash awards. They represent the fellowship’s largest cohort in its history. They come from 23 states and Puerto Rico, and span “many geographies and career stages, yet all of the artists offer a boldness of vision,” an announcement of the award said.
Where Columbus stood, Tubman will thanks to Nina Cooke John
“The announcement of the 2022 USA Fellows exemplifies United States Artists’ dedication to strengthening the cultural landscape in the United States. With this new Fellowship class, USA will continue to expand its footprint in 2022 and enrich the arts ecosystem from Somerville, Massachusetts to Sitka, Alaska to Hollywood, Florida and beyond,” the announcement said. “This fellowship offers the chance to tell a story of this fellow’s important role in your community and how artistic philanthropy has continued to move forward during this ongoing crisis.”
Cooke John’s “Shadow of a Face,” was selected in a national competition to find a Tubman monument for Newark’s Washington Square Park after the city removed its statue of Columbus there last year. The selection was announced in June.
Her Studio Cooke John also designed “Point of Action,” installed in New York’s Flatiron Public Plaza and then later in Montclair.