United States Artists (USA), a Chicago-based nonprofit, has announced its 2026 class of USA Fellows and the recipient of its distinguished Berresford Prize. Fifty exceptional artists spanning nine diverse disciplines will each receive an unrestricted grant of $50,000, underscoring the organization's enduring commitment to empowering artists. Concurrently, Lori Lea Pourier, an Oglala Lakota advocate, has been honored with the Berresford Prize for her profound impact on the advancement of artists and cultural communities. This milestone year marks two decades since USA's inception, celebrating its vital role in fostering artistic innovation and providing crucial support to creative practitioners nationwide.
United States Artists Honors 50 Fellows and Celebrates Lori Lea Pourier at 20th Anniversary
On January 15, 2026, the United States Artists (USA), a non-profit organization based in Chicago, revealed the names of 50 artists who will be granted its prestigious annual USA Fellowship, each accompanied by an unrestricted grant of $50,000. This year also saw the announcement of Lori Lea Pourier (Oglala Lakota) as the recipient of the Berresford Prize, an award recognizing cultural practitioners who have made significant contributions to the advancement of artists in society.
This year's announcement is particularly significant as it marks the 20th anniversary of United States Artists, an organization founded in 2006 with the mission of providing direct support to artists across the United States. Judilee Reed, the nonprofit's President and CEO, highlighted the organization's foundational belief in the essential role of artists in society, emphasizing that unrestricted support through programs like the USA Fellowship enables artists to sustain their careers, embrace creative risks, and chart their unique paths.
The USA Fellowship is distributed across nine distinct disciplines: architecture and design, craft, dance, media, music, theater and performance, traditional arts, visual art, and writing. The 2026 cohort features a distinguished array of talents. In the media category, recipients include Mendi + Keith Obadike and Nancy Baker Cahill. Visual arts honorees feature Edra Soto, Eric-Paul Riege, Macon Reed, and Maia Chao, who is slated to participate in the upcoming Whitney Biennial. Johanna Hedva, celebrated for her essay collection How to Tell When We Will Die: On Pain, Disability, and Doom, received recognition in writing.
Edra Soto, an interdisciplinary artist from Chicago, expressed the critical importance of these grants for non-commercial artists like herself, noting that such financial support is vital for her livelihood, creative exploration, and mental well-being. She plans to allocate her grant toward ambitious future projects, covering costs for research, materials, studio space, assistance, storage, and travel, while also aiming to support fellow artists who serve as the collective consciousness of society.
Mendi and Keith Obadike, interdisciplinary artists and composers from Ithaca, New York, conveyed their profound gratitude for the acknowledgment, underscoring the urgent need to cultivate culture and imagination in America through sustained artist support. They extended their heartfelt thanks to their nominator and USA for its unwavering commitment to this endeavor.
Lori Lea Pourier, the recipient of the Berresford Prize, has dedicated nearly three decades to championing Native artists and communities. Her extensive career includes leadership roles at the First Nations Development Institute and the International Indigenous Women’s Network, in addition to founding the First Peoples Fund. Pourier shared a poignant reflection on her early career, recalling a meeting with Susan Berresford, former president of the Ford Foundation, for whom the prize is named. She noted that many past recipients of grants from the First Peoples Fund have also received support from United States Artists, a testament to the enduring vision and investment that began years ago.
The announcement of the 2026 USA Fellows and the Berresford Prize recipient reaffirms USA's dedication to nurturing artistic talent and recognizing those who champion the arts. The complete list of 2026 USA Fellows includes artists from diverse backgrounds and locations, reflecting a broad spectrum of artistic practices and contributions to American culture.
The announcement of the 2026 USA Fellows and the Berresford Prize recipient serves as a powerful testament to the enduring value of artistic expression and the critical need for philanthropic support within the arts sector. In an era where many artists grapple with financial precarity, the unrestricted grants provided by United States Artists offer a beacon of hope, enabling creators to pursue ambitious projects, innovate without constraints, and ultimately enrich our collective cultural landscape. The recognition of figures like Lori Lea Pourier also highlights the profound impact of those who champion and uplift marginalized artistic voices, reminding us that art thrives not just through individual genius, but also through a robust ecosystem of advocacy and community building. This initiative inspires a broader conversation about how societies can better invest in and celebrate their artists, recognizing their indispensable role in reflecting, challenging, and shaping human experience.