Today, the United States Artists (USA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding the arts, announced the 50 recipients of its 2008 fellowships. Five individuals were selected in the architecture and design category; other categories include crafts and traditional arts, dance, literature, music, theater arts, and visual arts. Each winner receives a $50,000 grant with no strings attached.

USA has awarded the grants for three years. The Los Angeles-based organization was founded in 2005 with $20 million in seed money provided by the Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Prudential Foundation, and Rasmuson Foundation. USA continues to fund its program with donations from corporations and private philanthropists.

The Architecture and Design Fellows for 2008, sponsored by Target, are:

Julie Bargmann – The founding principal of landscape architecture firm D.I.R.T. in Charlottesville, Virginia, Bargmann works to regenerate post-industrial landscapes. In 2001, she won the National Design Award for Environment Design from the Cooper-Hewitt. Her firm’s projects include rehabilitation of the Ford Rouge Plant in Dearborn, Michigan; the revitalization of a former coal mining site in Vintondale, Pennsylvania; and a corporate campus for Urban Outfitters in the old Philadelphia Navy Yard.

Stephen Burks – The founder of New York-based industrial design studio Readymade Projects, Burks creates furniture and home accessories for clients such as Cappellini, Boffi, and Modus, as well as product packaging for companies Calvin Klein and Estée Lauder, among others. He also works with Aid to Artisans and the Nature Conservancy to develop craft-based products that can be produced by artisans in developing countries.

Douglas Garofalo, AIA – Garofalo is the founder of Garofalo Architects, a Chicago-based firm noted for its research-driven approach to design and use of digital tools. Among his notable projects are the Korean Presbyterian Church in New York (with Greg Lynn and Michael McInturf), the Hyde Park Art Center in Chicago, and proposals for athletic facilities in connection with Chicago’s bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

J. Meejin Yoon – Yoon is the founder of MY Studio, and the co-founder of Höweler + Yoon Architecture, both based in Boston. She is known for work that mixes art and architecture. Major projects include interactive sound and light installations for a Washington D.C. office building and for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, as well as a light canopy powered by photovoltaic panels for a vacant lot in New Orleans.

Andrew Zago, AIA – Zago runs the Detroit-based firm Zago Architecture, lauded for its design of the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, an intentionally raw space carved out of a former automotive dealership. In addition to designing buildings, Zago is experimenting with film and digital tools to explore and analyze urban spaces in his home city.

For more information about the fellows, visit the United States Artists Web site.