A celebration is in order. Three of this year’s USA Fellows are local artists. Only a small percentage of creative folks make a living doing what they love, so it’s always good news when a few of our own are recognized with a substantial grant.
And at $50,000 each, the U.S.A. Fellows grants are definitely substantial. Launched in September 2005 with seed money provided by a handful of large foundations, including Ford and Rockefeller, United States Artists awards unrestricted grants directly to 50 artists a year. Local artist John Jota Leaños, author Karen Tei Yamashita, and playwright Octavio Solis are three of this year’s recipients. These Bay Area superstars were selected from a pool of two million nominees, and will be honored tonight on the Broad Stage at the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center.

John Jota Leaños
Recently featured in KQED’s Spark episode on Mission District Street Art, installation, new media and performance artist John Jota Leaños calls attention to the tragedies of war and globalization through accessible forms, like murals and animation. His animated short, Los ABCs, was an official selection at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006. Leaños was also a guest on a 2005 Forum episode titled, “Is Graffiti Art?” Check it out.

Karen Tei Yamashita
Author Karen Tei Yamashita’s I Hotel was a 2010 National Book Award finalist. Her work gives voice to communities whose stories are not often told. I Hotel uses the International Hotel, a Chinatown landmark, to bring together 10 interconnected stories that span a decade (1968-1978) and describe the artistic and political activities of San Francisco’s Asian American community. Listen to The California Report‘s 2010 review.