The annual “genius grants” were announced Tuesday. From the creator of The Wire to an artist who makes heavy material weightless, The Daily Beast profiles the 23 people just given $500,000, no-strings attached, to pursue their passion.
Courtesy of the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
1, Amir Abo-Shaeer
Courtesy of the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
2, Jessie Little Doe Baird
Courtesy of the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
3, Kelly Benoit-Bird
Courtesy of the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
4, Nicholas Benson
Courtesy of the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
5, Drew Berry
Courtesy of the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
6, Carlos D. Bustamante
Courtesy of the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
7, Matthew Carter
Courtesy of the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
8, David Cromer
Courtesy of the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
9, John Dabiri
Courtesy of the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
10, Shannon Lee Dawdy
Courtesy of the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
11, Annette Gordon-Reed
Courtesy of the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
12, Yiyun Li
Courtesy of the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
13, Michal Lipson
Courtesy of the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
14, Nergis Mavalvala
Courtesy of the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
15, Jason Moran
Courtesy of the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
16, Carol Padden
Courtesy of the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
17, Jorge Pardo
Courtesy of the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
18, Sebastian Ruth
Courtesy of the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
19, Emmanuel Saez
Courtesy of the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
20, David Simon
Courtesy of the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
21, Dawn Song
Courtesy of the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
22, Marla Spivak
Courtesy of the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
23, Elizabeth Turk
Courtesy of the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation