There are three criteria for selection of MacArthur Fellows: exceptional creativity, promise for important future advances based on a track record of significant accomplishment, and potential for the fellowship to facilitate subsequent creative work. This year, artists Mark Bradford and Rackstraw Downes are among the 24 fellows, each of whom receive $500,000. Bradford has a show at Sikkema Jenkins in New York through October 17. In June, a traveling retrospective of Rackstraw Downes’s onsite paintings from 1974-2009, curated by Klaus Ottman, will be at be at the Parrish Art Museum. Another Downes show also opens at the Aldrich Museum in June.
So old Rackstrawe is finally a 'genius'. Nice to know someone has finally recognized all that 'potential'.
I have enjoyed the work of Rackstraw Downes for some time. Good for him, he deserves the award. I wasn't familiar with the work of Mark Bradford, so I did some research and his work is very compelling. They both seem like good choices.