Ucross Welcomes Spring 2025 Fellows

On February 24 Ucross annouonced that they have launched their spring session, welcoming a new cohort of artists in residence to its renowned program. From February through early June, 59 writers, visual artists, composers, choreographers and interdisciplinary artists will receive residencies on Ucross’s 20,000-acre ranch in northern Wyoming.

“Every season, Ucross brings together an extraordinary group of artists, each with a unique voice and vision,” said Caitlin Addlesperger, Ucross President and Executive Director. “We are proud to offer them an environment where they can fully immerse themselves in their work, free from the distractions of daily life. The impact of this time—both on their individual practices and on the broader arts community—is profound.”

Among this session’s distinguished fellows is Venezuelan-born jazz pianist and composer Edward Simon, whose work has earned him a Guggenheim Fellowship. Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, a novelist from Whittier, North Carolina, is the first enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to publish a novel with a major publisher. Victor Lodato, an award-winning writer and playwright from Ashland, Oregon, has had his short fiction and essays published in both The New Yorker and The New York Times. In the visual arts and interdisciplinary fields, Leila Weefur of Oakland, California, is known for their thought-provoking work in video and installation, while Tabitha Arnold, a textile artist from Chattanooga, Tennessee, has gained recognition for her intricate tapestries that explore themes of labor and social justice.

Fellowships range from two to six weeks, with a maximum of 10 artists in residence at a time. Ucross Fellows receive a private studio, living accommodations, meals prepared by a professional chef and the opportunity to work in solitude amid the vast and inspiring landscape of the High Plains. The residency is fully funded and includes a stipend to offset expenses.

This session’s roster includes artists selected from 610 applicants by an independent jury of established artists, critics and arts leaders, as well as the 2025 recipients of the Ucross Fellowship for Native American Artists. In addition, several artists will join the program through partnerships with esteemed national organizations, including the PEN/Hemingway Award, Rice University Shepherd School of Music, University of Houston, and Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice.

The spring 2025 fellows represent 17 U.S. states—California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming—as well as Belgium, Canada and Japan.

The Spring 2025 Ucross Fellows are:

Literature – Fiction: Yu-Mei Balasingamchow, Jamaica Plain, MA; Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle Whittier, NC; Siham Inshassi, Old Bridge, NJ; Karolina Letunova, Davis, CA; Victor Lodato, Ashland, OR; Mimi Lok, San Francisco, CA; Hilary Peach, New Westminster, CAN: Carvell Wallace, Oakland, CA; S. Kirk Walsh, Austin, TX

Nonfiction/Poetry/Playwriting: Naomi Cohn, St. Paul, MN; Mashuq Mushtaq Deen, Bronx, NY; Claire Fowler, Los Angeles, CA; Tajja Isen, Las Vegas, NV; Christiane Jacox, Ridgefield, CT; Renee Lepreau, Oakland, CA; Kyla Marshell, Brooklyn, NY; Olivia Morgan, Woods Hole, MA; Erlina Ortiz, Haddonfield, NJ; Alex Park; Oakland, CA; Aelita Rose Parker, Brooklyn, NY; Craig Morgan Teicher, West Orange, NJ; Cindy Tran, New York, NY; Raksha Vasudevan, Denver, CO and Mathew Weitman, Houston, TX

Music, Dance & Performance – Kristel Baldoz, Long Island City, NY; Stephanie Barbe, Philadelphia, PA; Gregory Barnett, Houston, TX; bashexo, Medford, MA; Gelsey Bell, Brooklyn, NY; Caroline Davis, Brooklyn, NY; Mychal Fisher, St. Paul, MN; Sid Gopinath, Brooklyn, NY; deVon Gray, St. Paul, MN; Amelia Heintzelman, Flushing, NY; Sarah Ortegon HighWalking, Denver, CO; Anne Mason, Laramie, WY; RaShonda Reeves, Richmond, TX; Edward Simon, Music Composition; Emeryville, CA; Eli Winter, Chicago, IL; Nathan Wooley, Brooklyn, NY

Visual Arts – Tabitha Arnold, Chattanooga, TN; Rachel Bacon, Brussels, Belgium; Tulu Bayar, Lewisburg, PA; Jennifer Berger, Los Angeles, CA: Jennifer Gunlock, Los Angeles, CA; Véra “V” Haddad, Palenville, NY; Gina Herrera, Bakersfield, CA; Ruth Jeyaveeran; Installation; Brooklyn, NY; Erin Semine Kökdil, Norman, OK; Summer McCorkle, Brooklyn, NY; Marisol Ruiz, Brooklyn, NY, and Rivers Qinnan Zhu, Tokyo, Japan.

Interdisciplinary– Jamal Batts, Philadelphia, PA; Woohee Cho, Los Angeles, CA; Nan Collymore, New York, NY; Grant Cutler; Brooklyn, NY; Erin Elder, Albuquerque, NM; Laura Heit, Portland, OR; Ra Malika Imhotep. Atlanta, GA and Leila Weefur; Oakland, CA

The public will have an opportunity to explore the studios and work of the final cohort of artists during Ucross Founder’s Day on May 31 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Since Ucross’s first residencies were awarded in 1983, nearly 3,000 artists have received the gift of time and space. Distinguished Fellows include Annie Proulx, Terry Tempest Williams, Elizabeth Gilbert, Ann Patchett, Bill Morrison, Theaster Gates, Anthony Hernandez and Tayari Jones. National Book Award winners Susan Choi, Sigrid Nunez, and Sarah M. Broom have been residents, as have Academy Award and Tony winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Emmy Award winner Billy Porter, Pulitzer Prize winner Colson Whitehead, and former three-term U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo. To learn more about Ucross and its residency program, visit ucross.org.

For more information contact Ucross Communications Manager

Rani Robison | rrobison@ucross.org