2 Indian-Americans among 25 McArthur Fellows

Grants from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation have been given to 25 recipients, including a violinist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and a grassroots activist in the Silicon Valley.

 Violinist and social-justice advocate Vijay Gupta, 31, told the Los Angeles Times that being selected a MacArthur Fellow was the wildest, possible dream for him.

He is also cofounder and artistic director of Street Symphony, which was recognized “for providing musical enrichment and valuable human connection to the homeless, incarcerated, and other under-resourced communities in Los Angeles,” the foundation says. His nonprofit “harnesses the power of the arts to foster social connection and support,” the foundation says.

Along with nearly 80 musicians he has recruited from the L.A. Philharmonic and elsewhere, Gupta and Street Symphony present regular monthly programs of live musical performances at shelters, county jails, and treatment and transitional housing facilities. Street Symphony also offers musical education through workshops and its recently launched Fellows Program, which pairs emerging artists from local universities for a year-long instruction program.

 “We’re not only in these places to perform, but to build community,” Gupta told the paper. “The role of the artist in today’s world is not only to heal and inspire, but to disrupt and provoke. One of the patterns that Street Symphony is disrupting and asking questions around is ‘why should great art only happen at the concert hall.’”

 California community organizer Raj Jayadev, 43, iscofounder of Silicon Valley De-Bug (De-Bug). He was chosen “for his model of grassroots collective action that enables individuals facing incarceration, their families, and their communities to play an active role in their defense,” the foundation says. 

“De-Bug began as a magazine about issues affecting low-wage manufacturing, temporary workers, and it has since evolved into a multidimensional platform for community organizing, social justice advocacy, and multimedia storytelling by low-income, minority, incarcerated, and other disenfranchised communities,” the foundation says.

De-Bug’s “participatory defense” model is now spreading beyond California. Hubs have been established in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Tennessee as part of the National Participatory Defense Network, and Jayadev is conducting training workshops in communities across the United States.  He co-founded Silicon Valley De-Bug in 2001 and continues to serve as coordinator and an organizer with the Albert Cobarrubias Justice Project.

 The two are among 25 recipients of the so-called “Genius Grants” which are fellowships with no strings attached. They provide $625,000, distributed over five years. Established by the foundation, the fellowship recognizes “talented individuals who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction.”