Illuminating Inspiration

Susan V. Berresford 
Chair, USA Board of Directors

Welcome to United States Artists (USA) and its third annual celebration recognizing outstanding artists working in the United States. Tonight we gather in Chicago—one of the nation’s most vibrant cultural centers—to honor and acknowledge 51 talented individuals with USA Fellowships of $50,000.

To date, USA has honored 158 artists. We wish the very best to the new USA Fellows, wherever their curiosity and creativity may take them.

Why are we doing this?

USA launched in 2005 to address a pressing concern among national arts leaders that dwindling public support for individual artists would undercut the country’s creative and artistic excellence. The organization sprang to life with $22 million in seed funding provided by the Ford, Rockefeller, Prudential, and Rasmuson Foundations. Since then, nearly $10 million has been raised from leading arts patrons from across the nation who generously accepted our invitation to join USA’s National Leadership Committee. These investments create new and critical resources for artists and their work.

USA has three goals. The first is to provide “research and development funds,” enabling talented artists to devote focused time to their creative work. The second is to address the implications of a puzzling research finding from an Urban Institute report, which indicated that 96 percent of Americans appreciate art, but only 27 percent appreciate artists. Finally, we hope to build an enduring coalition of national arts donors to fund—and ultimately endow—the USA Fellows.

Tonight’s program offers you just a glimpse of the dazzling talent of the USA Fellows for 2008. The winners join us from every corner of the country and work in virtually every artistic discipline. They include a scrimshaw carver from the northern reaches of Alaska, a New York based theatrical lighting designer, and one of Hawaii’s most revered teachers of traditional hula.

Three years into the creation of USA, we have been delighted by the generosity of friends who have supported its work. We are grateful to those who have served as advisers, to those who have hosted USA events, and to those who have connected us to other supporters.

Additionally, many partners stepped forward to make this special evening possible. In particular, my deepest thanks go to Target for its generous underwriting support. Important additional funding was provided by The Prudential Foundation and Marilyn and Larry Fields. The Museum of Contemporary Art’s director, Madeleine Grynsztejn, and her staff warmly welcomed us to their beautiful home and offered invaluable assistance in producing tonight’s event. Finally, I would like to recognize the members of the Chicago Host Committee, who lent their support and enthusiasm to ensure a successful celebration in the Windy City.

We are proud of the momentum USA has achieved since its founding. As we move forward, I invite you to join us in building a broad coalition of stakeholders to affirm the importance of artists to the creative potential of America.