Three California Institute of the Arts alums were named USA Fellows by United States Artists, an organization that supports artists and uplifts their essential roles in society.

The 2022 class of USA Fellows was announced on Tuesday, Jan. 26. Each fellow receives a $50,000 unrestricted cash award and a year of financial planning.

The CalArts alums included among the 2022 ranks:

Nataki Garrett (Theater MFA 2002) is the former associate dean of CalArts School of Theater and currently serves as the artistic director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, one of the largest theater-producing organizations in the United States.

Garrett was a visiting artist last semester at CalArts, returning to remount the Center for New Performance’s production, “The Carolyn Bryant Project.”

Lars America Jan (Theater MFA 2008) is currently on the faculty of the CalArts School of Theater. He is a director, artist, writer and activist.

Jan is the founder of Early Morning Opera, a genre-bending performance and art lab offering works which explore “emerging technologies, live audiences and unclassifiable experience.”

luciana achugar (Dance BFA 1995) is a Brooklyn-based choreographer from Uruguay who has been making work in both locations since 1999.

Her pieces are concerned with the “post-colonial world, searching for an undoing of current power structures from the inside out.”

A much-lauded artist, achugar was a 2017 Herb Alpert Award in the Arts recipient.

“After another year facing the challenges of the pandemic, artists once again demonstrate their deep commitment to uplifting those around them and nurturing their communities,” said Lynnette Miranda, program director of United States Artists. “The 2022 USA Fellows were selected for their remarkable artistic vision, their commitment to community – both in their specific communities and their discipline at large – and the potential to influence future generations.”

Founded in 2006 by the Ford, Rockefeller, Rasmuson and Prudential Foundations in direct response to the cuts in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, USA provides unrestricted support to artists working and living in the United States. Since its founding, the organization has awarded more than 750 artists and cultural practitioners with over $36 million of direct support through the USA Fellowship.

For more information visit USA Fellows.