Rhiannon Giddens Named McArthur Fellow, Genius Grant Recipient
That Rhiannon Giddens is a musical genius is evident to anyone who’s followed her career.
The McArthur Foundation made it official Tuesday, naming Giddens as one of its 2017 McArthur Fellows and a recipient of its so-called genius grant. Giddens received the honor for her work “reclaiming African-American contributions to folk and country music and bringing to light new connections between music from the past and the present,” the foundation said in a statement.
A founding member of the now-defunct Carolina Chocolate Drops, Giddens, 40, is a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who released her second solo album, the outstanding Freedom Highway, in early 2017.
Giddens declared herself “just thrilled” at the news and urged fans to watch her Facebook page to see what projects she’ll fund with the $625,000 award.
”Such an inspiring group of people to be in,” she wrote. “So many things I want to do - but the first thing is to thank whoever nominated and supported me for this grant - it means the world to me, and to the projects I have been longing to do, and to the beautiful collaborators who have helped me get to this point.”
Giddens is one of 24 “exceptionally creative people” honored this year.
”These new MacArthur Fellows bring their exceptional creativity to diverse people, places and social challenges,” the foundation said. “Their work gives us reason for optimism and inspires us all.“
