10 Artist Residencies and Artist Fellowships to Pursue in 2023

Jan 24, 2023
Focused male composer writing in his music book and playing a piano.
The McKnight Visiting Composers Residency brings composers of all musical styles to design and produce their own residencies in Minnesota. Visiting composers work on projects with a Minnesota community—or communities—of their choosing to create their composition.

Artist residencies and artist fellowships provide creatives with community, creative control, and financial freedom so that they can create new works, explore their passions, hone their craft, or try something new. These opportunities provide early-career artists a start and help mid-career artists boost their profile. Artist residencies also afford artists the opportunity to travel, live, and work in some of the most influential places for their art form so they can create their most inspired work! Regardless of where you are in your creative career, taking on an artist residency or artist fellowship offers many benefits and will help you gain professional experience and make connections that will enhance your trajectory.

The following list of artist residencies and artist fellowships includes opportunities for creatives in the visual arts, theater, film, screenwriting, composition, performing arts, creative writing, literature, and much more! There are opportunities for new and established artists and creatives, as well as immigrants. Residencies are hosted across the US, from New Hampshire to Washington, and abroad!

1. Artist Trust Fellowship

Artist Trust Fellowships are designed to recognize artistic achievement, dedication to an artistic discipline, and potential for further professional development. 8 grants at $10,000 each will be awarded in Music, Media, Literary, and Craft disciplines are awarded in even-numbered years and Emerging Fields & Cross-Disciplinary, Performing, Visual and Traditional & Folk Arts in odd-numbered years. Applicants must be practicing artists, age 18 or older by the application deadline date, generative artists, and a resident of Washington State at the time of application and when the award is granted.

2. Beckmann Emerging Artist Fellowship Program

The Beckmann Emerging Artist Fellowship Program awards fellowships each year to qualified and talented artists in music, dance, theatre, literature, media, and/or the visual arts. Artists will receive a monetary award of $3,500 to purchase supplies and cover other costs as they develop their projects. Professional development and growth opportunities will also be provided throughout the 1-year fellowship. The fellowship program seeks to introduce and provides experiences, connections, and relationships with professional arts institutions and professional artists in central Indiana. Artists must have 1-3 years of experience in their field.
Are you an emerging artist? Check out these 15 Fellowships for Emerging and Early Career Artists.

3. Bellagio Residency Program: Arts and Literary Arts

The Bellagio Arts & Literary Arts residency in Italy is for composers, fiction and non-fiction writers, playwrights, poets, video/filmmakers, and visual artists who share in the Foundation’s mission of promoting the well-being of humankind and whose work is inspired by or relates to global or social issues. The residency is for artists seeking time for disciplined work, reflection, and collegial engagement. The Center typically offers stays of 2-4 weeks long, in a community of 15 fellows that typically includes 3-5 arts resident fellows. Artists of significant achievement from any country are welcome to apply.
Interested in applying to Creative Writing Fellowships? Read our interview with writer and multiple creative writing fellowship winner Leah Griesmann. In it she shares information about the fellowships she’s won, how they impacted her writing career, and her application tips. Also check out these 44 Fellowships for Creative Writers in Any Career Stage.

4. Creative Capital Awards

Creative Capital is the only national grantmaking organization with an open application process that supports individual artists across all disciplines. Creative Capital makes a multi-year commitment to its grantees, providing them with tailored financial and advisory support to enable their project’s success while building their capacity to sustain their careers. Our grants are valued at up to $90,000. For each project, we offer up to $50,000 in award monies (direct funding) and an additional suite of career development services valued at $40,000. Applicants must be over 25 years old and have at least 5 years of work experience.

Creative Capital Awards was one of the Top 10 Most Popular Fellowships of 2022. Click the link to see the other fellowships that made the list.

5. Define American Immigrant Creative Fellowship

Define American offers immigrant creative fellowship to support immigrant creatives working in narrative art forms as they build their professional practice and network. The six fellows selected for the Define American Creative Fellowship will participate in workshops and conversations around furthering their network and impact, being connected with additional resources, and supporting their community engagement efforts. Fellowship is open to creatives in narrative-oriented art forms (writing, filmmaking, visual storytelling, theater, illustration, spoken word, digital journalism, etc.) with at least some experience (professional or amateur) in their chosen medium.

6. Hedgebrook Writers in Residence

The Writers in Residence Program is Hedgebrook’s core program, supporting the fully-funded residencies of approximately 40 writers at the retreat each year. Hedgebrook is on Whidbey Island, about thirty-five miles northwest of Seattle. Situated on 48 acres of forest and meadow facing Puget Sound, with a view of Mount Rainier, the retreat hosts writers from all over the world for residencies of two to four weeks, at no cost to the writer. This residency is open to women writers in all genres! Four writers are in residence at a time, each housed in a handcrafted cottage.
Interested in Writing Fellowships? Check out these 12 Fellowships and Grants for Emerging Writers.

7. Kresge Artist Fellowship

Kresge Arts in Detroit provides significant financial support for Kresge Artist Fellowships annually, each consisting of a $25,000 award and professional practice opportunities for emerging and established metropolitan Detroit artists in the dance/music, film/theatre, literary arts, and visual arts. The Kresge Artist Fellowships are given to artists whose commitment to artistic achievement, in contemporary or traditional forms, is evident in the quality of their work. Fellowship applications are accepted by artists who are currently legal residents of the metropolitan Detroit tri-county area (Macomb, Oakland, or Wayne counties) in Michigan.

8. LIFT – Early Career Support for Native Artists

The LIFT–Early Career Support for Native Artists program provides one-year awards for early-career Native artists to develop and realize new projects. Fellows’ work should aim to uplift communities and advance positive social change. Eligible applicants must be individual Native artists working in dance/choreography, fiction/poetry writing, film/video, multi-disciplinary arts, music, performance art, theater and screenplay writing, traditional arts, or 2D/3D visual arts. LIFT awards up to $10,000 for a proposed project with $2,500 earmarked for the artist’s benefit and well-being. Up to 20 artists will be selected to receive LIFT awards.

Interested in fellowships for Native or Indigenous People? Check out these 17 Fellowships for Native Americans and Indigenous Peoples.

9. MacDowell Colony Fellowship

The MacDowell Colony is the nation’s leading artist colony located in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Each year about 300 Fellowships, or residencies, are awarded to artists in seven disciplines: architecture, film/video arts, interdisciplinary arts, literature, music composition, theatre, and visual arts. A Fellowship consists of exclusive use of a private studio, accommodations, and three prepared meals a day for two weeks to two months. MacDowell encourages applications from emerging and established artists representing the widest possible range of perspectives and demographics. Enrolled students are ineligible.
Interested in Creative Arts Fellowships? Check out these 12 Creative Arts Residencies for Writers, Dancers, Musicians and Visual Artists.

10. McKnight Visiting Composers Residency Program

The American Composers Forum will select up to two composers to design and produce their own residencies in Minnesota. Applicants from the full range of musical styles and a diverse pool of artists whose work demonstrates strong artistic merit are encouraged to apply. Visiting composers should expect to spend approximately 40 days in Minnesota, working on projects with a Minnesota community—or communities—of their choosing. The award is for $10,000 and projects are expected to be completed within 18 months of receiving the award.

Interested in finding many more opportunities like these? Sign up for the ProFellow database, which includes more than 2,400 funded opportunities for professional development and graduate school.

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