Dec. 4 (Bloomberg) -- A Seminole Indian filmmaker, a jazz guitarist, a cartoonist and a classical musician from India are among 50 artists awarded $50,000 each by a new foundation called United States Artists.

The fellowships, announced today at a press conference in New York, were awarded to artists ranging in age from 26 to 83, the organization said in a release. No restrictions are placed on the stipend, the group said.

The artists are diverse in background and medium -- from Sterlin Harjo, a 26-year-old Seminole filmmaker from Norman, Oklahoma, to Ali Akbar Khan, an 83-year-old master of the sarode, a 25-string musical instrument. Khan was a 1991 recipient of a ``genius grant'' from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

``We wanted to make a bet on the strength of their work, that they money would fuel a creative effort of some sort,'' Susan Berresford, the group's chairman and president of the Ford Foundation, said today in an interview at Jazz at Lincoln Center, where the fellowship recipients were announced. ``We think artists deserve more direct financial support.''

Many artists struggle to survive financially in the U.S. although there are more than 6,000 foundations and charities that donate money to them, USA said. The median income for artists is about $5,000 and more than half of the 2 million artists in the U.S. pay for their own health insurance, according to a 2003 study by the Urban Institute in Washington.

Financial Support

United States Artists was created in September 2005 to support artists who have problems generating steady income from their craft. The Los Angeles-based group was started with $20 million in seed money from supporters including the Ford, Rockefeller, Prudential and Rasmuson foundations, according to the USA Web site.

Candidates for fellowships were nominated by an anonymous group of arts leaders and critics who believe the artists ``show an extraordinary commitment to their craft,'' the Web site says. Those making nominations don't know each other and USA doesn't reveal their identities. Artists are later informed of their nominations and are encouraged to fill out an application for a grant online.

Of the 362 artists from 48 U.S. states nominated as USA fellows, 109 were in the visual arts, 48 were performing artists (including directors and playwrights), 39 were fiction writers and poets, and 37 worked in film, media and radio, USA said.

Research for Novels

Novelist Victor LaValle said when he was notified by mail that he had been nominated for the fellowship, he initially thought he had been sent an invitation to be included in a ``Who's Who in America''-like anthology of artists.

``I was going to rip it up,'' LaValle, 34, and the author of the short-story collection ``Slapboxing with Jesus,'' said in an interview. ``Then I read the whole letter and saw it was legitimate, and I thought I should apply.''

LaValle said he will use the money to travel to Istanbul and to the state of Oaxaca in Mexico to research material for two novels he's writing.

Dancer Ronald K. Brown said he will use the grant to buy equipment for his Evidence Dance Company in New York and to fund travel to Cuba and Burkina Faso, Africa, to study dance trends.

``I started the dance company when I was 19, and it's been a struggle,'' said Brown, who said he got his first health- insurance plan last year. ``I was speechless, just speechless when I learned I had been selected.''

List of 2006 United States Artists Fellows

     Name                Field                State of Residence

1. Tanya Aguiniga        Designer              California
2. Liz Collins           Clothing Designer     Rhode Island
3. Arline Fisch          Jewelry Designer      California
4. Anna Brown Ehlers     Weaver                Alaska
5. Sarah Jaeger          Potter                Montana
6. Teri Rofkar           Weaver                Alaska
7. Ronald K. Brown       Dancer                New York
8. Eiko and Koma         Dancers               New York
9. Alonzo King           Dancer                California
10. Ralph Lemon          Dancer                New York
11. Sandra Benitez       Writer                Minnesota
12. Beth Ann Fennelly    Poet                  Mississippi
13. Amy Hempel           Fiction Writer        New York
14. Victor LaValle       Novelist              New York
15. Heather McHugh       Poet                  Washington
16. Wesley McNair        Poet                  Maine
17. Susan Power          Fiction Writer        Minnesota
18. Joe Sacco            Novelist              Oregon
19. Matthew Stadler      Novelist              Oregon
20. Sterlin Harjo        Filmmaker             Oklahoma
21. Thomas Allen Harris  Filmmaker             New York
22. David Isay           Radio Artist          New York
23. George and Mike      Filmmakers            Calif./New York
    Kuchar
24. Dmae Roberts         Playwright            Oregon
25. Phillip Rodriguez    Filmmaker             California
26. John Luther Adams    Composer              Alaska
27. Natividad Cano       Mariachi Musician     California
28. Bill Frisell and
    Jim Woodring         Guitarist/Cartoonist  Washington
29. Ali Akbar Khan       Musician              California
30. Lourdes Perez        Vocalist              Arizona
31. Anne Bogart          Director              New York
32. Ping Chong           Puppet Creator        New York
33. Anthony Garcia       Director              Colorado
34. Marc B. Joseph       Performance Artist    California
35. Meredith Monk        Multimedia Artist     New York
36. Dominique Serrand    Director              Minnesota
37. Basil Twist          Puppeteer             New York
38. Laylah Ali           Visual Artist         Massachusetts
39. Mark Bradford        Painter               California
40. Nick Cave            Fashion Designer      Illinois
41. Sam Durant           Sculptor              California
42. Mark Handforth       Sculptor              Florida
43. Anna Sew Hoy         Sculptor              California
44. Michael Joo          Sculpture/Video       New York
45. Masamichi Udagawa
    and Sigi Moeslinger  Design                New York
46. Michael Lesy         Photographer          Massachussetts
47. Catherine Opie       Photographer          California
48. William Pope.L       Performance Artist    Maine
49. Michael Queenland    Sculptor/Photographer New York
50. Chris Ware           Cartoonist            Illinois

To contact the reporter on this story: Patrick Cole in New York at pcole3@Bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: December 4, 2006 16:14 EST