FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

June 2, 2005
GUGGENHEIM LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN
FELLOWSHIP AWARDS, 2005


The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation has awarded thirty-six Fellowships with a total grant allocation of $1,188,000 to artists, scholars, and scientists from Latin America and the Caribbean, according to Edward Hirsch, Foundation president.  There were 492 applicants.  Countries represented this year by the new Fellows include Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, El Salvador, Mexico, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, 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.

The diversity of the 2004 Fellows is worth noting.  The new Fellows range in age from the 27 year old Cuban artist, Wilfredo Prieto, to the the 77 year old Argentinian poet, Hugo Padeletti.  The 36 new Fellows are diverse not only in age, but also in their interests, as the following samples show:  Lucía A. Golluscio’s study of the grammar and texts of the endangered Argentine indigenous language Vilela; Todd Gulick’s research on Peter Minshall and the Carnival of Trinidad, 1974-2003; Karen Hallberg’s real-time simulations of nanoscopic systems; Jaime Luis Huenún’s compilation of the cultural narratives of fifteen Mapuche elders; Luisa Margolies’ study of the missionaries, evangelism, and the indigenous cultural change in Venezuela; and Dante Minniti’s research on stellar populations of nearby galaxies.

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 the Committee of Selection.  This year's Committee of Selection consists of Guillermo Jaim-Etcheverry, Professor of Cell Biology and Histology, and Rector, University of Buenos Aires; Sabine MacCormack, Professor of History, 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, Professor of Political Science and Simon Bolivar Professor of Latin American Studies, University of California, San Diego.

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 write to the Foundation at 90 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016 for information and forms.

The full list of all 2005 Fellows, including those named in the United States and Canadian competition, is on the World Wide Web at http://www.gf.org.

home page