The U.S. Latinx Art Forum Awards Latinx Artist Fellowships to 15 Artists in the U.S. & Puerto Rico

MEDFORD, Mass. - June 17, 2024 - PRLog -- Fifteen artists living and working across the United States and in Puerto Rico have been awarded the 2024 Latinx Artist Fellowships (https://uslaf.org/latinx-artist-fellowship-2023/) by the U.S. Latinx Art Forum (USLAF (https://uslaf.org/)), a non-profit organization formed in 2015 to address the underrepresentation and underfunding of Latinx art. As part of the year-long Latinx Artist Fellowship program, each artist receives $50,000 in unrestricted funding to support their creative work, as well as opportunities to participate in public programs co-hosted by USLAF.

Recognizing the most compelling Latinx visual artists working in the United States today, the Latinx Artist Fellowship was established in 2021 to address a systemic lack of support, visibility, and patronage of Latinx visual artists—individuals of Latin American or Caribbean descent, born or long-living in the United States. To date, the fellowship program has supported 60 exceptional artists at all career stages, helping to establish essential connections, a lasting legacy, and a vibrant community of Latinx artists.

The 2024 cohort of fellows represent nine cities across the United States and Puerto Rico, and reflects the varied racial, ethnic, and gender identities within the Latinx community; the cohort includes Afro-Latinx, women-identified, queer, and transgender artists. Their artistic practices span painting, installation, ceramics, printmaking, photography, sound art, social practice, and performance, as well as site-responsive interventions.

"It is an honor to welcome this year's Latinx Artist Fellows, who represent the rich cultural tapestry of Latinx identity in the United States," said Adriana Zavala, Ph.D., Executive Director, U.S. Latinx Art Forum. "Each is on their own distinct career path, yet their engagement with themes of identity, social justice, immigration, spirituality, and decolonial aesthetics challenge dominant narratives and bring underrepresented perspectives to the forefront."

The 2024 Latinx Artist Fellows are:

Alberto Aguilar
Chicago, IL

Yreina D. Cervántez
Los Angeles, CA

Lizania Cruz
New York, NY

Jenelle Esparza
San Antonio, TX

Fronterizx Collective
(Jenea Sanchez & Gabriela Muñoz), Phoenix, AZ

Joel Gaitan
Miami, FL

Guillermo Gómez-Peña
San Francisco CA

Maria Maea
Los Angeles, CA

Charo Oquet
Miami, FL

Pepón Osorio
Philadelphia, PA

Elle Pérez
Bronx, NY

Gadiel Rivera Herrera
San Juan, PR

Sandy Rodriguez
Los Angeles, CA

John Valadez
Los Angeles, CA

Chris E. Vargas
Los Angeles, CA /
Bellingham, WA

Established in 2021 with an initial five-year, combined commitment of $5 million from the Mellon Foundation (https://www.mellon.org/) and the Ford Foundation (https://www.fordfoundation.org/), the Fellowship is part of the Latinx Art Visibility Initiative, which is led by both foundations. USLAF administers the fellowship in collaboration with the New York Foundation for the Arts (https://www.nyfa.org/).

Founded in 2015, USLAF is the only national organization exclusively dedicated to Latinx visual art and art history.