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SU alumna awarded ‘genius grant’ from MacArthur Foundation

Photo Courtesy of John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Photographer and video artist LaToya Ruby Frazier has been named one of 24 MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" award winners for 2015.

Syracuse University alumna LaToya Ruby Frazier has been named one of 24 MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” award winners for 2015.

Frazier, who received a master of fine arts degree from SU in 2007, will receive a $625,000 grant over the next five years and it has no strings attached, according to a press release. Frazier is a photographer and video artist and the award winners were announced late Monday night. The 33-year-old is the youngest of the 2015 winners.

Some of Frazier’s work documents the lives of people in her hometown of Braddock, Pennsylvania. In particular, Frazier focuses on Braddock’s working class, African American community, according to the press release.

The “genius grant” is “an investment in a person’s originality, insight, and potential,” according to the MacArthur Foundation website.

“Their work, their commitment and their creativity inspire us all,” said Julia Stasch, foundation president, on the MacArthur website.



“The MacArthur Fellows program recognizes some of today’s brightest and most creative minds, and I am very proud to see 10 New Yorkers earn this tremendous distinction this year,” New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a press release. “These are forward-thinking, limitlessly talented individuals who are changing the landscape of society and opening new frontiers in everything from medicine to art, and they represent the potential of New York as well. Congratulations to all of this year’s MacArthur Fellows – we look forward to seeing you continue to shape the world for years to come.”

Since 1981, the $6.3 billion foundation has awarded more than 900 fellowships, according to The Wall Street Journal.





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