Congratulations to Chicago photographer and social justice artist Tonika Lewis Johnson, one of 22 awardees of this year’s MacArthur Fellowship, also known as the “genius grant.”
The Chicago-based John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has given the fellowships since 1981, paying $800,000 over 5 years to those chosen to pursue their own “creative, intellectual, and professional inclinations” in recognition of their “exceptional creativity” and potential for future work.
Tonika is the only person from Illinois to receive the grant this year. The Englewood native is 45 and was recognized for her work “exposing the impacts of systematic disinvestment in urban communities.” She’s known for her large-scale, social-justice-oriented work, including the Folded Map Project which began in 2018, depicting how “decades of harmful policies have divided the city, both socially and physically, using matching addresses from the North and South sides to illustrate the city’s segregation.”
Her latest work, UnBlocked Englewood, is an ongoing project aimed to restore vacant lots and homes that were impacted by harmful policies. Tonika said the MacArthur funding will afford her stability and the ability to “continue to think bigger,” adding “This recognition is proof that our neighborhoods are overflowing with creativity, resilience, and now we can say genius… and I accept it for myself, but it’s like I’m accepting this on behalf of the neighborhood.”
& Remember to always celebrate your magic! xo