Guggenheim fellowship cohort
The Guggenheim Foundation named 233 people to its 101st fellowship class, a cohort that notably includes American Artist and performance figure Penny Arcade among the grantees. (artforum.com).
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation has named 223 artists, writers, scholars, and scientists to its 2026 fellowship class, the program’s 101st cohort. (gf.org) The foundation announced the class on April 14 after reviewing nearly 5,000 applications. This year’s fellows work across 55 disciplines, and the list includes visual artist American Artist and performance figure Penny Arcade. (gf.org 1) (gf.org 2) Each fellowship comes with a monetary stipend for independent work, and the foundation said awards are based on prior achievement and future promise. The organization said it has awarded nearly $450 million to more than 19,000 fellows since 1925. (gf.org) The Guggenheim fellowship is one of the best-known unrestricted grants in American cultural and academic life. The foundation says fellows are supported under “the freest possible conditions,” meaning recipients are not tied to a single employer, institution, or required output. (gf.org 1) (gf.org 2) That structure helps explain why the annual class draws attention beyond the arts world. The 2026 cohort spans 33 states and the District of Columbia, three Canadian provinces, and eight countries beyond the United States and Canada, with fellows ranging in age from 28 to 76. (gf.org) The foundation also said about one-third of this year’s fellows do not hold a full-time college or university job. That makes the list a mix of campus-based scholars and independent artists, writers, and researchers. (gf.org) Applications rose sharply this cycle, according to the foundation. It reported a 50% increase in Creative Arts and Humanities applications and an 86% increase in Sciences applications. (gf.org) The program’s own guidelines describe the award as aimed at mid-career people rather than students or organizations. Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States or Canada, and previous Guggenheim fellows cannot apply again. (gf.org) The 2026 class arrives as the foundation enters its second century, still using the same basic model: give individuals time, money, and latitude to make new work. This year’s list shows that model still reaches from laboratory research to performance art. (gf.org)
