Oregon Shakespeare Festival Director Nataki Garrett Named United States Artist Fellow

Nataki Garrett, artistic director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, has been picked as a 2022 United States Artist fellow. She will receive a $50,000 fellowship.

“I am honored to receive this prestigious honor and thank United States Artists for continuing to illuminate the value of artists in American society,” Garrett stated in a press release. “This fellowship will empower me to push the boundaries of my work and passion as an artist, including the intersection between immersive technology and live performance—which are both exciting and illuminating areas on which to focus my artistry.”

The fellowship is yet another triumph during Garrett’s trailblazing tenure over the festival. She is the first Black woman to serve as OSF’s artistic director, she has raised $19 million on behalf of the nonprofit theater industry, and she conceived O!, OSF’s digital platform.

The USA Fellowship has been supporting artists since 2006. More than 750 artists have been awarded over $36 million.

“We are thrilled to award fellowships to 63 artists—the largest cohort in USA’s history—this year,” said Ed Henry, board chair of United States Artists. “These 63 fellows are representative of the magnificent range of disciplines and diversity of our nation’s artists.”

Related: As the Artistic Director for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Prepares for a Full Season of In-Person Theater, a Short She Executive-Produced Is Screening at Sundance