LOS ANGELES — Adult film legend, artist and activist Annie Sprinkle and her partner Beth Stephens are among the recipients of a 2021 Guggenheim Foundation fellowship.
The fellowships were awarded to "a diverse group of 184 artists, writers, scholars and scientists," the Foundation noted in its announcement. "These exceptional candidates were chosen through a rigorous peer-review process from almost 3,000 applicants.
"Created in 1925 by Senator Simon and Olga Guggenheim in memory of their son John Simon Guggenheim, the Foundation has offered fellowships to exceptional individuals in pursuit of scholarship in any field of knowledge and creation in any art form, under the freest possible conditions."
Sprinkle exulted in the news on social media and praised Stephens for doggedly pursuing the grant.
"If they could see me now. That little gang of mine at the Pink Pussycat Massage Parlor and Kirt Studios — a Guggenheim Foundation fellow," she said. "Woke up to the news that the very hard-to-get grant Beth applied for happened! I'm so proud of her. She works hard and takes risks. We are in very good company on the webpage with astrophysicists, philosophers and mathematicians. We are friends with some of the other 2021 awardees and we love them!"
"To those friends that applied and didn't get the winning number, keep trying," she added. "Just keep it up. We love you."
Click here for a complete list of the 2021 Guggenheim fellows.
Follow SprinkleStephens.org for additional details about the pair's work.
Images: Kingmond Young
