Ucross announces spring 2021 artists-in-residence

Ucross has announced that, for the first time, the 29 artists chosen for this year’s spring artist-in-residence program will receive $1,000 stipends.

The stipends will help defray the cost of travel and other expenses associated with a residency. Sharon Dynak, Ucross president and executive director, said Ucross is offering the stipends this season to reassert the program’s commitment to individual artists.

She said Ucross recognizes the expenses incurred with a residency and wants to help lessen the burden so that the work comes first for those selected for residencies. As in years past, residencies include uninterrupted time, studio space and living accommodations at the 20,000-acre ranch located in the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains.

Facilities include four visual arts studios, four writers’ studios, two composers’ studios and a large loft space suitable for dance and theater collaborations. Residencies are awarded to 100 artists each year, and 10 artists are in residence at one time, typically in a mix of four visual artists, four writers and two composers.

The spring list includes artists from 12 states and four countries as well as artists coming to Ucross through partnerships with the University of Houston’s Creative Writing Program and Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music.

The list also includes the most recent recipients of the Ucross Fellowships for Native American Visual Artists.

The spring 2021 artists-in-residence include:

Literature, Fiction – Brendan Basham, Nashville, Tenn.; Meghan Garvey, New Orleans, La.; Afabwaje Kurian, Iowa City, Ia.; Juliet Lapidos, Brooklyn, NY; Natalia Trigo, Sugar Land, Texas.

Literature, Nonfiction – Lucas Bessire, Norman, Okla.; Rebecca Donner, Brooklyn, NY; Allyn Gaestel, Pasadena, Calif.; Josh Kun, Pasadena, Calif.; Rachel Kushner, Los Angeles, Calif.

Literature, Poetry – Niki Herd, Houston, Texas; Eleni Sikelianos, Providence, RI.

Literature, Playwriting – Michael Jackson, New York, NY.

Visual Arts – Mar4ina Ancona, Brooklyn, NY, printmaking; Teresa Baker, Los Angeles, drawing/mixed media/painting; Nelleke Beltjena, Roermond, Netherlands, drawing; Sandra de la Loza, Los Angeles, photography; Noelle Garcia, Highland Park, Ill., drawing/painting/sculpture; Margeaux Klein, Santa Fe, NM, drawing; Eliza Naranjo Morse, drawing/sculpture; Georgfia Rowswell, Cheyenne, mixed media; Valeska Soares, Brooklyn, sculpture/installation.

Music/Dance, Music Composition – Jerome Ellis, Brooklyn; Emily Rice, Los Angeles; Laurie Schwartz, Berlin, Germany; Nicky Sohn, Houston; Ken Ueno, Lawndale, Calif.; Danielle Ward-Griffin, Houston.

Music/Dance, Dance – Allie Hankins, Portland, Ore.; Lisa Nevada, New York.

Ucross awarded its first residencies in 1983 and since then, over 2,500 artists have participated in the program.