✨ Introducing the inaugural Princess Grace Artist Fellows. A partnership between @princessgraceus and @mapfund , the Princess Grace Artist Fellowship provides Fellows with participation in MAP Fund’s Scaffolding for Practicing Artists program (SPA).
Open to previous #PrincessGraceAwardwinners, each Fellow receives a $10,000 unrestricted cash grant from the Princess Grace Foundation, one-on-one coaching over 12 months through SPA, as well as a two-day immersive peer coaching experience, and a $1,100 stipend from MAP Fund for their time and engagement.
2025 Princess Grace Artist Fellows:
Chih-Jou Cheng (Theater 2024)
Roderick George (Choreography 2024)
Evan Silver aka Tiresias (Theater 2024)
Nesaru Tchaas (Film 2021)
#PrincessGraceArtistFellows #MAPFund #ScaffoldingforPracticingArtists #ArtistSupport #PrincessGraceFoundation #PrincessGraceAwardwinners 👑
Today, we announce that Kim Savarino (@kimsavarino ), who has been an essential #MAPFund team member for 12 years, will be leaving the organization at the end of this week. Since 2014, Kim has worked across all MAP programs. She has seen MAP through many changes, always serving as a grounding presence. Most recently as the Senior Development Manager, she has been instrumental in shepherding MAP into a new era, securing critical funding, incorporating alumni voices into our programming, and leading the charge to improve MAP’s website and public offerings. We are so grateful for Kim’s years of service and leadership, and wish her all the best in her next chapter. She will be greatly missed!
Kim shared this about her years with MAP:
“I am grateful for my time at MAP: 12 years (!!!) supporting innovative, brilliant, and experimental artists. Thank you to the artists, colleagues, and especially coworkers I’ve had the pleasure of learning from and working with since 2014. As we see massive defunding in the arts sector and escalating attacks on marginalized populations, I am heartened by MAP’s commitment to supporting artists. I will carry that commitment into my own artmaking and life and look forward to cheering on the organization in its next chapter!”
Congratulations to the six recipients of the 2026 Doris Duke Artist Awards, including MAP alum Allison Orr (2013, 2014, 2018, 2020 & SPA), as well as broader MAP community member Val Jeanty (2021 collaborator). We celebrate their work and artistry!
📸Courtesy of Doris Duke Foundation
Spotlight on new Board member Amani Olu!
Amani Olu is the founder of Olu & Company, a consultancy that partners with cultural institutions, mission-driven organizations, and creative enterprises to strengthen organizational sustainability through capacity building, strategic marketing, and business development. With over 20 years of experience in the cultural sector and creative economy, Olu’s client work spans major cultural institutions (Ford Foundation Gallery, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Detroit Institute of Arts, Institute of Contemporary Art at VCU, Aperture Foundation), luxury brands (Bottega Veneta, Gucci), corporate innovation partners (Michigan Central, Newlab Detroit, Dolby Laboratories), and national nonprofit organizations (Americans for the Arts, Knight Foundation, Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation, New England Foundation for the Arts).
“MAP Fund has played a defining role in supporting artists whose work expands the possibilities of performance,” Amani shared. “Having worked with MAP through Olu & Company, I’ve seen the organization’s deep commitment to artists and cultural equity. I’m honored to join the Board and support MAP’s continued investment in artists shaping a more vibrant and equitable society.”
📸by James Adams
Spotlight on new Board member Jilian Cahan Gersten!
Jilian Cahan Gersten is currently Chief Development Officer at the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, having previously served in its Education and Development departments. Prior to that, she was Vice President of Philanthropic Initiatives at Brooklyn Org (formerly the Brooklyn Community Foundation). Her previous experience includes various programming and fundraising roles at Brooklyn Arts Council, LUMBERYARD Contemporary Performing Arts, BRIC, The After-School Corporation (now ExpandED Schools), Theatre for a New Audience, The New Victory Theater, and Ballet Tech. She is the current board chair of Ballet Tech; was a founding board member of Headlong Dance Theater in Philadelphia, PA; served for 12 years on the board of Danspace Project; and has served as a panelist for the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and New Jersey After 3.
“As someone who has always worked to support access to art and culture, and cares about artists’ ability to make work and thrive, it thrills me to join MAP Fund while the organization undergoes a transformative moment,” said Jilian.
📸by Brigitte Lacombe
Spotlight on new Board member Jean Cook!
Jean Cook is an artist, producer, and advocate for musicians. From 2005-2015, she directed research, education, and advocacy initiatives at the intersection of music, copyright, and technology for Future of Music Coalition. Jean held one of the first artist seats on the Board of the Association for the Performing Arts Professionals from 2014-2023, and also served on the founding Steering Committee for Music Workers Alliance. As a musician, she has performed on over 100 albums and concert films, including two Grammy nominations, and has toured over 1,000 dates on four continents with various groups including Art Ensemble of Chicago, William Parker, Jon Langford, Beauty Pill, and Ida. She is a member of the Music Policy Forum Action Network and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Anthony Braxton’s Tri-Centric Foundation. She was appointed to the Office of the Vice President of US Programs at the Ford Foundation as Director in February 2023.
“There are so many major gaps in basic infrastructure and support for artists in the US,” Jean said. “The MAP Fund has always centered visionary artists, and I appreciate how they seek to continue to be in service to that community in a meaningful and thoughtful way.”
📸by Stefano Giovannini
Please join us in welcoming three new MAP Board members: Jean Cook, Jilian Cahan Gersten, and Amani Olu! They bring unique perspectives and valued voices to our organization. We are excited to begin a new chapter of collaboration and discovery alongside these leaders in the field. Discover more about Jean, Jilian, and Amani at the link in our bio.
📸Left to right: Jean Cook (photo by Stefano Giovannini); Jilian Cahan Gersten (photo by
Brigitte Lacombe); Amani Olu (photo by James Adams).
Congratulations to all of the 2026 Guggenheim Fellows, including many MAP community members! We celebrate alumni Kyle Abraham (2011 & 2014), Yanira Castro (2004 & 2019; 2018 reviewer), Stephanie Fleischmann (2015), jaamil olawale kosoko (2017; 2013 & 2024 reviewer), Ingrid Laubrock (2022 micrograntee) Haruna Lee (2018), Molly Rose Lieber (SPA & 2015 reviewer), nia love (2020), and Alva Rogers (2001), as well as broader MAP community members LaMont Hamilton (2024 reviewer), K.J. Holmes (2011 collaborator), and Amy O’Neal (2016 reviewer).
Have you checked out the MAP Fund performance calendar recently? Right now, we have over 40 upcoming live events from around the world listed, all from MAP and SPA alumni artists, with new events being added all the time. Head to the link in our bio to find exciting performances from innovative artists in your community!
📸by Alyssa Cortez (from 2024 MAP-funded project Burden of Proof by “Manai” Alleluia Panis, playing at @kulartspresents in San Francisco, April 17-26, 2026)
Congratulations to all of the 2026 Foundation for Contemporary Arts grantees, including MAP alumni jaamil olawale kosoko (2017, 2022 & SPA), Paul Lazar (2002 & 2013), Ogemdi Ude (2024 & SPA), and Anh Vo (SPA). We celebrate their artistry!
Congratulations to the 2026 United States Artist Fellows! We celebrate all of these artists, including MAP alumni Layale Chaker (SPA), Thaddeus Davis & Tanya Wideman-Davis (2013 & SPA), Ty Defoe (2015 & 2020), Parul Shah (2004), Jason Samuels Smith (2006), and Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew (2018), as well as broader MAP community members inti figgis-vizueta (2020 collaborator) and Mina Morita (2016 reviewer).
Congratulations to the 2026 Creative Capital Award recipients and the inaugural State of the Art Prize grantees, including many MAP community members! We celebrate MAP alumni Delbert Anderson (2024 & SPA), Emily Bate (2020), Amir ElSaffar (2014 & SPA), Dayna Hanson (2002, 2005, 2010, 2013 & SPA), Haruna Lee (2018 & SPA), Gesel Mason (2015 & SPA), Brad Rose (2024 & SPA), Rosy Simas (2017, 2018, 2020, 2022 & SPA), and Tanya Wideman-Davis (2013 & SPA), along with community member Benjamin Kimitch (2018 reviewer).
