The MacArthur Foundation today announced its class of 2016 Fellows — commonly known as the genius awards — and there are two Wesleyan alumni among them.Vincent Fecteau ’92 is an artist of distinctive subtlety, craft and care. I visited his studio in San Francisco when I was president of California College of the Arts, and I have long admired his work. Here’s part of what the foundation said about his practice:
Fecteau imbues his work with philosophical content, just as the work assumes psychological dimensions through its uncanny correspondences with the human body. In our age of ever-increasing distraction, Fecteau’s sculpture offers a place for the sustained experience of thought and observation to unfold and flourish.
You can read more about Vincent’s work and see some images here.
Maggie Nelson ’94 is a writer of uncommon gifts, able to blend theory, memoir, poetry and criticism into new genres of expression and insight. Kari and I were reading her work during the summer a couple of years ago, and recently my son gave me a copy of Bluets. I passed it along to our daughter Sophie, who was inspired by it (and made friends in NYC just carrying and reading it in public!).
Reading Bluets made me aware of my color-blindness more than anything I’ve ever encountered. Here’s part of what the foundation said about her work:
Nelson remains skeptical of truisms and ideologies and continually challenges herself to consider multiple perspectives. Her empathetic and open-ended way of thinking—her willingness to change her mind and even embrace qualities of two seemingly incompatible positions—offers a powerful example for how very different people can think and live together. Through the dynamic interplay between personal experience and critical theory, Nelson is broadening the scope of nonfiction writing while also offering compelling meditations on social and cultural questions.
You can read more about Maggie’s writings here.
Congratulations to our new alumni MacArthur Fellows! We are so proud!!