Santa Monica Artist Fellowship Program

The purpose of the Santa Monica Artist Fellowship program is to nourish and stimulate the creation of new work by Santa Monica artists, recognize excellence, and reinforce the community’s high regard for creativity and innovation. 

The Fellowships are expected to:

• Promote high-quality artistic and creative activity in Santa Monica
• Have an impact on world-class art production
• Highlight the City as an international creative center
• Underscore the significant contribution artists of excellence make to the community
• Invest grant support in diverse components of the community
• Provide opportunities to Santa Monica artists
• Open avenues of discourse to broad topics of human creativity and learning among artists and the general public

Description of Awards:

• Project Fellowships: Artists may apply for a Project Fellowship to pursue study, individual exploration, in-depth exchange, or creative opportunities related to the development, completion, exhibition, or performance of new work. Applications are reviewed by a panel that then makes recommendations to the Santa Monica Arts Commission. The Commission then makes the final award decisions.
• Kate Johnson Digital Arts Fellowship: Each year one Project Fellowship, the Kate Johnson Digital Arts Fellowship, is reserved for a qualifying Santa Monica-based artist working in digital media. The application process is identical to that of the Project Fellowships. Applicants who wish to be considered for the Kate Johnson Fellowship may indicate that by checking the appropriate box in the application. Checking the box does not, however, preclude the applicant from being considered for a regular Project Fellowship.
• Artist Fellowships by Nomination: Nominators are arts professionals from inside and outside the city who are invited to nominate qualified artists. Nominees’ artwork is reviewed by a panel made up of distinguished artists and arts professionals from outside Santa Monica chosen for their expertise and aesthetic breadth. The panel submits recommendations to the Santa Monica Arts Commission based on artistic excellence, productivity, body of work, and the community impact of both the artists’ work and the award.
• Discipline categories for the nominated Artist Fellowships rotate annually. The 2023-24 disciplines are the performing arts and the literary arts, which include creative literature, writing/performance, choreography, musical composition, and sound composition. Project Fellowships are open to all eligible disciplines every year, including visual arts, digital media, creative literature, writing/performance, choreography, musical composition, and sound composition. 
  

Artist Fellows (who receive the larger award) may use their award stipend at their discretion, limited to the purpose of the grant, which is the creation of new work. Project Fellows must spend grant funds according to their project plan as it was approved by in the application process.