Artist Fellowships - Drawing and Printmaking, Fiction/Creative Nonfiction, and Painting

Mass Cultural Council (MCC)

Agency: State

GrantWatch ID #162385

Grant Description

Fellowships of $15,000 and finalist awards of $5,000 to Massachusetts individual artists to recognize exceptional original work and to foster the creation of new art in the disciplines of drawing and printmaking, fiction and creative nonfiction, and painting. Please submit work completed 2018 or later. Works in progress are eligible.

Grant Categories:

Drawing and Printmaking: Eligible for review in even years. This category includes work created using the techniques, materials, media, and methods of drawing and printmaking, collage, artists’ books, and computer-generated work.

Fiction/Creative Nonfiction: Eligible for review in even years. This category accepts literary work in all varieties and genres including fiction novels, short stories, flash fiction, and graphic novels. Works of creative nonfiction with a strong narrative voice, such as memoir or personal essay, are also welcome. Critical, analytical, or scholarly work is not a good fit for this category.

Painting: Eligible for review in even years. This category includes original work that involves painting of any kind upon any surface. Artists who make engravings, etchings, lithographs, prints, serigraphs, woodcuts, and drawings should apply in the Drawing & Printmaking category.

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Eligibility:

Others (see text field entitled "Additional Eligibility Criteria" for clarification)

Additional Eligibility Criteria:

You may apply for an Artist Fellowship if you are:
- 18 years or older.
- A legal resident of Massachusetts for the last two years. You should also be a legal resident when the grants are awarded. A “legal resident” is defined as someone who meets the definition of a “full-year resident” in the Massachusetts tax code. Visit the Mass Department of Revenue web site to learn more.
- An artist who creates original work. Artist Fellowship Finalists from previous years may also apply this cycle.

You are ineligible (for now) if you:
- Received a Mass Cultural Council Artist Fellowship in the past five years. For FY22, this includes 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021.
- Are a high school or undergraduate student, or a graduate student in a related degree program (such as an MFA). You are encouraged to apply for an Artist Fellowship after you have completed your studies.
- Are a governor-appointed Mass Cultural Council member. Mass Cultural Council staff and family are likewise ineligible to apply.
- Are an artist who interprets or translates the work of others applying for any discipline other than Traditional Arts.

If you are unsure whether you are eligible, please contact program staff.

Pre-proposal Conference:

Artist Fellowships Info Session
Event Date 01.12.2022
Time: 11am-12:30pm

Mass Cultural Council staff will share general information about the program, including details about the categories currently accepting applications – Drawing & Printmaking, Fiction/Creative Nonfiction, and Painting (application deadline: January 24, 2022). They will also discuss the new grants management system and take questions from attendees.

Register Now: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_K3rHkZ1zSbm7FIvWTNsHdg

Auto-generated captions will be provided. If you have additional questions or to request additional accommodations to ensure your participation, please contact Dan Blask.

Pre-Application Information:

Application opens: December 15, 2021
Application deadline: January 24, 2022, 11:59 PM
Grants announced by June 2022

Select the discipline category that best fits your work. You may apply only once per category. You can, however, apply in more than one category. Please note that only one monetary grant will be awarded to an artist in a fiscal year. Also, different work samples are required to be submitted for each application.

FAQs: https://massculturalcouncil.org/artists-art/artist-fellowships/faqs/

Discipline definitions: https://massculturalcouncil.org/artists-art/artist-fellowships/discipline-definitions/

Access Policy: https://massculturalcouncil.org/access-policy/

Tips on Applying for an Artist Fellowship: https://artsake.massculturalcouncil.org/tips-on-applying-for-an-artist-fellowship/

Mass Department of Revenue website: https://www.mass.gov/service-details/learn-about-legal-and-residency-status-in-massachusetts

How to Register in the System: https://artsake.massculturalcouncil.org/how-to-register/

Discipline-Specific Instructions: https://massculturalcouncil.org/artists-art/artist-fellowships/application-process/

Watch recorded information sessions:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FozB2R-O1A&t=6s
- https://youtu.be/peLTRowOdb4

Additional Funding Information:

Estimated Size of Grant:

The Artist Fellowships are $15,000, and the Finalist awards are $5,000.

Contact Information:

Application: https://massculturalcouncil.smartsimple.com/s_Login.jsp

Kelly Bennett, Program Officer, Artist Fellowships
Choreography, Crafts, Drawing & Printmaking, Painting, Photography, Sculpture/Installation/New Genres
617-858-2705
kelly.bennett@art.state.ma.us

Dan Blask, Program Officer, Artist Fellowships
Dramatic Writing, Fiction/Creative Nonfiction, Film & Video, Music Composition, Poetry
617-858-2706
dan.blask@art.state.ma.us

Maggie Holtzberg, Folk Arts & Heritage Program Manager
Traditional Arts ellowships, Traditional Arts Apprenticeship
617-858-2713
maggie.holtzberg@art.state.ma.us

Mass Cultural Council
10 St. James Ave 3rd Floor
Boston MA 02116-3803
Tel: 617-858-2700
Toll Free (in MA only): 800-232-0960
Fax: 617-574-7305