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The MacArthur Foundation named visual artists Christine Sun Kim, Rodney McMillian, Vincent Valdez and Chip Thomas among its 20 fellows for 2026. Each fellow will receive an unrestricted $800,000 award in quarterly installments over five years.
The MacArthur Foundation named four visual artists — Christine Sun Kim, Rodney McMillian, Vincent Valdez and Chip Thomas — among its 20 2026 fellows on September 29. Each recipient will receive an unrestricted $800,000 award, paid in quarterly installments over five years, giving the artists financial support without a prescribed project or spending plan.
The fellowship recognizes artists whose work the foundation says shows exceptional creativity and the prospect of further achievement. Fellows are nominated by people outside the foundation and chosen by an independent committee, according to the program description. The foundation does not require recipients to use the funds for a specific project.
The four artists work across different forms and subjects. Berlin-based Christine Sun Kim, a Deaf sound artist, examines the politics of communication through performance, murals, billboards and other media. Her 2020 video Palm Reader animates American Sign Language signs for words including “state” and “rule,” drawing on her practice of translating between ASL and American English.
Los Angeles-based Rodney McMillian uses materials such as secondhand quilts and thrifted household objects in work that engages with the American South, race and economic inequality. Vincent Valdez, who works in Houston, combines Chicano art traditions with narrative painting. His large-scale portraits address injustice, inequity and stereotypes; his eight-foot painting So Long, Mary Ann (2019) depicts a tattooed man with clasped hands. Chip Thomas worked as a primary care physician for the Navajo Nation before retiring in 2023. In collaboration with Diné people, he has made murals and incorporated black-and-white photography into structures on Navajo Nation land.
Four Artists Gain Flexible Support
The award gives each recipient $800,000 over five years, with no strings attached, according to the foundation. That structure can provide artists time and financial flexibility as they continue their work, though the announcement does not specify how any recipient plans to use the money.
The four selections also bring distinct artistic practices into a fellowship class that spans multiple fields. Kim’s work examines communication and language; McMillian’s addresses the South and socioeconomic injustice; Valdez makes narrative paintings about inequity and stereotypes; and Thomas works with public art and photography in collaboration with Diné communities. Their inclusion places those practices among the 20 people recognized in the 2026 class.
A Fellowship Across Disciplines
The MacArthur Fellowship program began in 1981. The foundation says it has awarded 1,195 fellowships since then, across fields including visual culture, art history, writing, health policy, anthropological research, musical performance and entrepreneurship. The award is commonly called a “Genius” grant, but the foundation’s description centers on creative work and future potential.
The 2026 class includes artists alongside people working in other disciplines. The names supplied in the announcement include poet Layli Long Soldier, fiction writer Bryan Washington, dancer and choreographer Trajal Harrell, and saxophonist and composer Immanuel Wilkins. The full class also includes Holly Jean Buck, Felipe De Brigard, Ellora Derenoncourt, Elizabeth Ellis, Kaiyu Guan, Song Lin, Maaza Mengiste, Ariel Ron, Kate Spradley, Vincenzo Vitelli and Liangfang Zhang.
““who show exceptional creativity in their work and the prospect for still more in the future.””
— John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Award Plans Remain Unannounced
The announcement does not say how the four artists intend to use their awards, or whether any are planning specific projects as a result. It also does not provide details about the independent committee’s deliberations or identify the people who nominated the fellows. The foundation’s stated criteria are available, but the selection process for individual recipients is not described in the report.
The award amount and payment schedule are specified as $800,000 in quarterly installments over five years. The report does not provide an installment amount or an exact date for the first payment. The fellows’ plans and any work developed with support from the award remain unknown.
Five Years of Fellowship Payments
The 20 fellows are set to receive their awards in quarterly installments over five years. The foundation’s announcement does not identify a first payment date, upcoming public event or reporting requirement. Further details about individual projects may emerge if the artists choose to share how the fellowship supports their work.
Key Questions
Which four visual artists received 2026 MacArthur Fellowships?
The artists are Christine Sun Kim, Rodney McMillian, Vincent Valdez and Chip Thomas. They are among 20 fellows announced by the MacArthur Foundation on September 29, 2026.
How much does each fellow receive?
Each fellow receives an unrestricted $800,000 award, paid in quarterly installments over five years.
How are MacArthur Fellows selected?
According to the foundation’s program description, fellows are nominated by external parties and selected by an independent committee. The report does not give details about the committee’s deliberations for this year’s class.
What is Chip Thomas known for?
Thomas is an artist and former primary care physician for the Navajo Nation. Working with Diné people, he has made murals and incorporated black-and-white photography into structures on Navajo Nation land. He also founded the Painted Desert Project, which ran from 2012 to 2022 and connected public artists with local communities through mural contributions.
Source: rss
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