Painter Joan Snyder of Park Slope was awarded the coveted MacArthur Award yesterday. This so-called "Genius" award is given out every year to unsuspecting artists, scientists, authors,  researchers, educators, and policy makers who receive $500,000 distributed over five years.

It’s the phone call people dream about. Can you imagine. Hello: We want to give you $500,000 to continue doing the great work that you do….

The New York Sun writes:

"It is generally considered one of the most prestigious
intellectual and creative honors. The leadership of the MacArthur
Foundation is notoriously reticent to disclose nomination and selection
criteria, but they cited Ms. Snyder’s "fiercely individual approach and
persistent experimentation with technique and materials."

Ms. Snyder, 67, while not a household name, has been a familiar face
among the New York artistic elite for four decades. A product of the
1960s and ’70s abstract painting movement, her evolving career —
featuring work that has progressed from formal grid-based "stroke"
paintings to layered creations incorporating text, found objects, and
papier-mâché — has been more of a slow-burn than a flash in the pan.
While her paintings may not enjoy prime real estate at MoMA, she has
had a career retrospective at the Jewish Museum in 2005, a book
published by Harry N. Abrams that same year, and more than 50 solo
exhibitions.