“It’s thoughtful for a foundation supporting artists to think about what kind of support system they have,” Bedoya says of the Berresford Prize. Using a theater analogy to describe his own role, Bedoya says, “There’s nothing glamorous about being the stage manager or the house manager, but they’re incredibly important to the production.”

United States Artists is perhaps best known for their fellowships, which award individual artists and collaboratives unrestricted grants of $50,000 each year. To date, the fellowship program has distributed over $33 million to more than 700 artists. Earlier this year, they helped administer the Rainin Foundation’s new fellowship program, which awarded unrestricted grants of $100,000 to four Bay Area artists and collaboratives.

Kenneth Rainin FoundationKenneth Rainin Foundation

Oakland’s Cultural Affairs Manager Roberto Bedoya Wins 2021 Berresford Prize