Artist Fellowship Award
A pilot grant that invests in individual artists living and working in Boston.
The City of Boston will offer five fellowship awards, each worth $10,000 in 2017. We give awards across many artistic disciplines. The number of awards for each discipline will depend on how many applications we receive. We’ll also follow the recommendations of our review panel.
The Artist Fellowship Award is currently closed for applications. Applications are being reviewed. Applicants should anticipate hearing back about the status of their applications in the early fall, 2017.
We consider artists from a diverse range of backgrounds who live and work in different neighborhoods throughout the City. The award application and guidelines are available in:
The fellowship takes place over 12 months. If you receive the fellowship, you’ll be asked to work with the City on one public event showcasing your work. Aside from a monetary award, you will receive:
- professional development support
- a mentorship specialized to your needs, and
- collaborative programmatic support from the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture.
We’ll also encourage you to serve as a juror for the following year’s Fellowship Award.
- commending the work of artists living in Boston and investing in their future success
- giving Boston-based artists the resources they need to dedicate their time to their work
- providing professional growth and career development to Boston-based artists, and
- elevating local artists in our City.
Individual artists may apply if they work professionally in an art discipline, including:
- dance
- music
- theater
- visual arts
- poetry or fiction writing
- interdisciplinary or performance art, and
- media arts.
You must be a City of Boston resident. You also need to show us accurate documents when we ask for them. We do allow applications submitted on behalf of an artist. You also must maintain your Boston residency during the 12-month period of the fellowship.
- You must be at least 18 years old.
- You can’t be enrolled in a degree program when applying for the Artist Fellowship Award. You also can’t be in a degree program during the 12-month period of the fellowship.
- You must be able to show that you have at least three years of experience creating art through the application process.
- You must have have lived in Boston for three years before you can apply.
- If you already received the award, you can’t apply again.
- You must have one public presentation of your work during the year of the fellowship.
- Current recipients of Boston AIR (Boston Artists-in-Residence) are not eligible to apply.
