The latest recipients of the annual Anonymous Was a Woman grants, which since 1996 has bestowed unrestricted awards of $25,000 to hundreds of women artists over the age of 40, were revealed this week. And for the first time, new winners can publicly thank their generous supporter, as it was just this year that photographer Susan Unterberg revealed herself to be the donor behind the grant program. Her latest class of winners are: the painters Dotty Attie, Beverly Fishman, Rocío Rodríguez, and Betty Tompkins; the multi-disciplinary artists María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Patty Chang, and Heather Hart; the performance and video artist Kate Gilmore; the collage artist Deborah Roberts; and the filmmaker Michèle Stephenson.
In a statement, Unterberg said:
I founded Anonymous Was a Woman to fill a void that I witnessed myself: support for women artists in the middle stages of their careers. I am thrilled to continue this mission by recognizing this year’s group of remarkable women at a moment that there is heightened discussion about the vitality of women’s voices.
This year’s grantees brings the total level of support Unterberg has provided to over $5.8 million, which she has now distributed to 230 artists. They were selected based on nominations provided anonymously by a group of curators, art historians, artists, and writers. Past recipients are a veritable who’s-who of powerful women artists, such as Xenobia Bailey, Agnes Denes, An-My Lê, Carrie Moyer, Martha Rosler, Cecilia Vicuña, and Deborah Willis.
