The Doris Duke Foundation has announced the six recipients of the 2024 Doris Duke Artist Award, which includes two jazz artists— saxophonist Miguel Zenón and bassist/vocalist esperanza spalding, Each recipient is awarded $525,000 in unrestricted funds, as well as an incentive of up to $25,000 to save for retirement. With the renowned MacArthur fellowship going to creative types in all fields, the award is considered the largest prize in the United State specifically dedicated to individual performing artists. The other honorees this year are Nataki Garrett (theater), Shamel Pitts (dance), Acosia Red Elk (dance) and Chay Yew (theater).
Including the 2024 recipients, the foundation to date has provided 135 artists with $38.8 million through the Doris Duke Artist Award program. “The Doris Duke Artist Award is more than an award—it is a platform to fight for the future of all performing artists,” said Doris Duke Foundation President and CEO Sam Gill, in a press release received at WBGO. “In illuminating the full range of human possibility, these six remarkable artists show us why that struggle is so important.”
