FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 7, 2007
LATIN
AMERICAN
AND CARIBBEAN
GUGGENHEIM FELLOWSHIP
AWARDS, 2007
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation has awarded 35
Fellowships to artists, scholars, and scientists from Latin America and
the Caribbean with a total grant allocation of $1,200,000 according to
Edward Hirsch, Foundation president. There were 395 applicants.
Countries represented by the new Fellows this year include Argentina,
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela.
The Foundation grants Fellowships through two annual
competitions: one for citizens and permanent residents of the
United States and Canada; the other for citizens and permanent
residents of Latin America and the Caribbean. The Fellowships are
awarded to persons who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for
productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts.
Decisions are based on recommendations from hundreds of expert advisors
and are approved by the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, which
includes six members who are themselves past Fellows of the Foundation
– Joel Conarroe, Joyce Carol Oates, Richard A. Rifkind, Charles
A. Ryskamp, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, and Edward Hirsch.
The diversity of the 2007 Fellows is worth noting. The new
Fellows range in age from 33 years old to 62 years old. The 35
new Fellows are diverse not only in age, but also in their interests as
the following samples show: Saurabh Dube’s study of
Christianity, colonialism, and conversion, 1860-2005; Jorge
Durand’s research on Latin American migration and the creation of
new identity in the United States; new works of fiction by the writer
Antonio López-Ortega; Patricia Majluf’s study of
sustainable alternatives to restore marine ecosystems; Marcos
Novaro’s research on human rights and democratization in
Argentina, 1979-2007; Ana María Ochoa-Gautier’s study of
music, sound, and modernity in Colombia; new works by the painter
Daniel Ontiveros; Sergio Raimondi’s new works of poetry; films by
Gregorio Carlos Rocha; Marco Romano-Silva’s research on the
clinical and molecular aspects of bipolar disorder; Ruth
Rosenstein’s research on a cure for glaucoma; new works by the
composer Oscar Strasnoy; works by the choreographer Alexey Puig
Taran; and new poems by Lila Zemborain.
In its selection process, the Foundation consults with distinguished
scholars and artists regarding the accomplishments and promise of the
applicants and presents this evidence to a Committee of
Selection. This year's Committee of Selection consisted of
Guillermo Jaim-Etcheverry, Professor of Cell Biology and Histology, and
former Rector, University of Buenos Aires; Sabine MacCormack, Professor
of History and Classics, University of Notre Dame; Sylvia Molloy,
Albert Schweitzer Professor in the Humanities, New York University;
María Teresa Ruiz, Professor of Astronomy, University of Chile;
and Peter H. Smith, Distinguished Professor of Political Science and
Simon Bolivar Professor of Latin American Studies, University of
California, San Diego. All members of the Committee of Selection
are past Guggenheim Fellows.
The due date for applications in the competition for Latin America and
the Caribbean is December 1st of each year. Persons interested in
applying should visit the website listed below or write to the
Foundation at 90 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016, for information and
forms.
The full list of 2007 Fellows may be viewed at http://www.gf.org.
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