Artist Fellowships
Application Process
Please note: This program is paused for FY23 as we evaluate our support for artists as part of our Racial Equity Plan. The following information represents FY22 program guidelines, for reference.
We are proud to support Massachusetts artists with Artist Fellowships. The Fellowships are direct grants to artists to recognize exceptional creative work. We consider individual artists to be an essential part of our vital communities, and we hope the awards will foster the creation of new art in the Commonwealth.
Artist Fellowships are $15,000, and Finalist awards are $5,000.
Mass Cultural Council is accepting applications for the 2022 Artist Fellowships in the following six categories:
Choreography
Drawing & Printmaking
Fiction/Creative Nonfiction
Painting
Poetry
Traditional Arts
Next year (2023), we anticipate welcoming applications in Crafts, Dramatic Writing, Film & Video, Music Composition, Photography, and Sculpture/Installation/New Genres.
How to Apply
Read the Program Guidelines and Work Sample Instructions (below), Discipline Definitions , and FAQs .
Watch the recorded info session and/or download the slide deck .
Contact us with any questions about the guidelines or to discuss which category suits your work best.
Learn more about requesting an accommodation for accessibility or requesting translation services .
Complete the online application for Choreography, Poetry, and Traditional Arts by 11:59pm (ET) on October 25, 2021. (Application opens: September 8, 2021)
Complete the online application for Drawing & Printmaking, Fiction/Creative Nonfiction, and Painting by 11:59pm (ET) on January 24, 2022. (Application opens: December 15, 2021)
Program Guidelines
2022 Close Open Eligibility
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. We define “legal resident” 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 degree program (such as an MFA) directly related to the discipline to which you are applying. We encourage you 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. (We hope to support your work through other Mass Cultural Council programs and initiatives.)
If you are unsure whether you are eligible, please contact us .
Review Criteria
Artistic quality and creative ability are the two review criteria used for most of the Artist Fellowships. For each fellowship category, the panelists make their evaluations based solely on the work sample(s) you submit. In the Traditional Arts category, there are three review criteria: artistic quality as culturally defined by the living tradition (45%); significance to members of the community in which the art is valued and practiced (45%); and artist’s role in safeguarding the tradition (10%).
For all Artists Fellowships except the Traditional Arts category, the fellowship review process is anonymous.
Review Panel
We invite a group of grant panelists to review applications in each category. The panelists are artists and arts professionals with expertise in the field. We are committed to assembling panels with a diverse range of perspectives and backgrounds. If you would like to register to be a potential review panelist, you may do so in Mass Cultural Council’s grants management system .
Each panel makes recommendations for Fellows and Finalists. These recommendations are presented to the governor-appointed Mass Cultural Council members for final approval.
Award Notification
We plan to award 55 Fellowships and 95 Finalist awards in the 2022 grant cycle. The exact totals in each discipline depend on the number of applications, and the decisions of the grant panels and the Mass Cultural Council staff.
We will announce final award decisions via email by February for the Fall deadline and by June for the Winter deadline. We will also publish results on Mass Cultural Council’s web site.
Application Instructions
For applications in all disciplines, use Mass Cultural Council’s grants management system .
Anonymity
Discipline Category
Artist Resume
Collaborators
Work Sample Instructions
Please make certain your work sample(s) follow our instructions. For tips on applying for an Artist Fellowship, please visit our blog, ArtSake .
Since your work samples are reviewed anonymously by each panel except for Traditional Arts, your name should not appear anywhere in your work sample(s), Work Sample Title(s), or your Work Sample Description(s). We appreciate all efforts to avoid identifying information like commissions, awards, or organizations.
Naming and uploading your work samples. Please name each file with the title of the corresponding work sample.
When uploading a file, please make sure it is saved on your computer. Uploading from a cloud storage service may not work.
Please submit work completed 2018 or later. Works in progress are eligible.
Detailed work sample requirements and instructions are provided below for each discipline category.
For the application to be considered, complete the online application form and any accompanying work sample(s) by 11:59pm (ET) on the deadline day. We cannot accept late applications.
CHOREOGRAPHY Close Open Deadline: October 25, 2021 online grants system .
Submit up to 20 minutes of choreographic work. You may include a single work, or up to four works or excerpts.
Accepted file formats: ogg, mp4, mov, flv, ogv, webm, wmv, mkv, avi, mov, rm, asf, rmvb, mpg, mpeg, mpg, mp2, m4v, 3gp, and 3g2. The maximum file size is 2 GB. When submitting your work sample(s), please name each file with the title of the corresponding work sample.
POETRY Close Open Deadline: October 25, 2021 online grants system .
Submit either a manuscript OR a combination of a manuscript and audio or video file(s).
You may submit up to 15 pages or a combination of pages and minutes of 15 or fewer. We will disregard any additional pages or minutes beyond the limit. You may include a single poem or up to 15 poems. Please combine all printed poems into one document file.
Your manuscript must be:
On 8.5″ x 11″ pages.
Typed in Times, Helvetica, or equivalent font, no smaller than 12 point in size.
Formatted with at least 1″ margins on all sides.
Uploaded as .doc, .docx, .pdf, .txt, or .rtf. (For best results, please be sure the file names contain no punctuation marks.)
Audio/Video:
TRADITIONAL ARTS Close Open Please note that the Traditional Arts category differs from the other Artist Fellowship categories in some key ways. Unlike the others, Traditional Arts is not anonymously-judged, and has different application materials and review criteria. Please use these discipline-specific instructions below to guide your application:
Deadline: October 25, 2021
Apply to the Traditional Arts category using Mass Cultural Council’s online grants system .
This category accepts work in traditional arts (music, craft, dance, and verbal arts) that reflect a cultural community’s shared sense of aesthetics and meaning. Traditional art is shaped by standards of excellence passed down from generation to generation, most often within familial, ethnic, tribal, religious, or occupational communities. Examples include music, sacred and secular crafts, occupational traditions like boat-building, quilting, and musical instrument making, folk and ethnic dance, and expressive culture associated with religious belief or seasonal celebrations.
Folk and traditional artists typically learn through day-to-day contact with someone steeped in the tradition, rather than through books, classes, or institutional instruction. Successful applicants practice the tradition with artistic depth and cultural sensitivity and are dedicated to sustaining the art form by mentoring others.
Artist Narrative
Traditional Arts Fellowship applicants must submit an artist narrative. This narrative should address the following:
Name and describe the traditional art form that you practice.
Explain how you learned your traditional art.
Tell us about your audience/or people who buy your work. For whom is your traditional art made or performed?
Artist Narrative File Format:
No longer than two pages on 8.5″ x 11″ pages.
Double-spaced with at least 1″ margins on all sides.
Typed in Times, Helvetica, or equivalent font, no smaller than 12 point in size.
Uploaded as .doc, .docx, .pdf, .txt, or .rtf. (For best results, please be sure the file name contains no punctuation marks.)
Letters of Recommendation
Traditional Arts Fellowship applicants must submit at least one, but no more than three letter(s) of recommendation from a folklorist, practicing peer, and/or member of the community who is knowledgeable about the traditional art form you practice. The recommendation letter should explain why the applicant deserves this recognition and address the following:
Where does the applicant’s work stand within the tradition?
Does the applicant excel at the culturally defined aesthetic standards within the tradition?
If relevant, discuss how the applicant helps to sustain the traditional art.
Each letter of recommendation should be:
On 8.5″ x 11″ pages.
Typed in Times, Helvetica, or equivalent font, no smaller than 12 point in size.
Formatted with at least 1″ margins on all sides.
Signed and uploaded as a PDF file.
Work Samples
Your Work sample(s) should be submitted according to the specific instructions for your Traditional Arts category (Folk/Traditional Dance, Folk/Traditional Music, Folk/Traditional Crafts & Visual Arts, Oral Traditions (includes folk/traditional storytelling)
Folk/Traditional Dance
Please upload up to five audio or video sample(s). If you are part of an ensemble or a dance teacher, please include descriptive information so that it is clear who you are in the video. When submitting your work sample(s), please name each file with the title of the corresponding work sample.
Video/Audio: The following file formats may be used: ogg, mp4, mov, flv, ogv, webm, wmv, mkv, avi, mov, rm, asf, rmvb, mpg, mpeg, mpg, mp2, m4v, 3gp, and 3g2 (video) and mp3, flac, wma, wav, ra, rm, mid, and midi (audio). The maximum file size is 2 GB.
Folk/Traditional Music
Please upload up to five audio or video sample(s). Name each file with the title of the corresponding work sample.
Video/Audio: The following file formats may be used: ogg, mp4, mov, flv, ogv, webm, wmv, mkv, avi, mov, rm, asf, rmvb, mpg, mpeg, mpg, mp2, m4v, 3gp, and 3g2 (video) and mp3, flac, wma, wav, ra, rm, mid, and midi (audio). The maximum file size is 2 GB.
Folk/Traditional Oral Traditions (including folk/traditional storytelling)
Please submit up to five audio or video sample(s) by uploading them. Name each file with the title of the corresponding work sample.
Video/Audio: The following file formats may be used: ogg, mp4, mov, flv, ogv, webm, wmv, mkv, avi, mov, rm, asf, rmvb, mpg, mpeg, mpg, mp2, m4v, 3gp, and 3g2 (video) and mp3, flac, wma, wav, ra, rm, mid, and midi (audio). The maximum file size is 2 GB.
Folk/Traditional Crafts & Visual Arts
Please upload five digital images of your work. If possible, include an image that shows the place in which your work is created.
Images: Must be uploaded as a jpg, jpeg, gif, or png. The maximum file size is 2 GB.
Please name each file with the title of the corresponding work sample.
DRAWING & PRINTMAKING Close Open Deadline: January 24, 2022
Apply to the Drawing & Printmaking category using Mass Cultural Council’s online grants system .
This category accepts up to five image(s) or video sample(s) or any combination thereof.
Upload five digital images. We recommend the pixel dimension (horizontal or vertical) be at least 1,200 pixels on the longest side of your image. Maximum file size: 2 GB Allowed. File Types: jpg, jpeg, gif, png.
For Video: Submit up to 5 minutes total running time. You may include a single work, or up to five works or excerpts.
Accepted file formats: ogg, mp4, mov, flv, ogv, webm, wmv, mkv, avi, mov, rm, asf, rmvb, mpg, mpeg, mpg, mp2, m4v, 3gp, and 3g2. The maximum file size is 2 GB. When submitting your work sample(s), please name each file with the title of the corresponding work sample.
FICTION/CREATIVE NONFICTION Close Open Deadline: January 24, 2022
Apply to the Fiction/Creative Nonfiction category using Mass Cultural Council’s online grants system .
Upload up to four document files. The total page length of all samples combined should be 20 pages or fewer. You may include a single work, or up to four works or excerpts. Any additional pages will be discarded.
Manuscripts must be:
On 8 ½” x 11″ pages.
Double-spaced and typed in Times, Helvetica, or equivalent font, no smaller than 12 point in size.
Formatted with at least 1″ margins on all sides.
Page numbered
Uploaded as .doc, .docx, .pdf, .txt, or .rtf. (For best results, please be sure the file names contain no punctuation marks.)
PAINTING Close Open Deadline: January 24, 2022
Apply to the Painting category using Mass Cultural Council’s online grants system .
This category accepts up to five image(s) or video sample(s) or any combination thereof.
Upload five digital images. We recommend the pixel dimension (horizontal or vertical) be at least 1,200 pixels on the longest side of your image. Maximum file size: 2 GB Allowed. File Types: jpg, jpeg, gif, png.
For Video: Submit up to 5 minutes total running time. You may include a single work, or up to five works or excerpts.
Accepted file formats: ogg, mp4, mov, flv, ogv, webm, wmv, mkv, avi, mov, rm, asf, rmvb, mpg, mpeg, mpg, mp2, m4v, 3gp, and 3g2. The maximum file size is 2 GB. When submitting your work sample(s), please name each file with the title of the corresponding work sample.
Legal & Other Requirements
Details Close Open Accessibility and Non-Discrimination Policy
Mass Cultural Council is committed to ensuring that all programs, services, policies, and practices are formulated and conducted in a manner which will ensure equal access for all people and prevent discrimination not only as a matter of law, but also as a policy designed to encourage the participation of all segments of the Commonwealth’s population in Mass Cultural Council programs and services.
Mass Cultural Council is dedicated to creating a workplace, programs, and services that welcome, respect, and value people of all races, color, age, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religions, creeds, ancestry, national origin, disability and veteran status, and does not discriminate on the basis of these attributes. We strive to reflect diversity in all activities, programs and services by removing any barriers to accessibility.
Mass Cultural Council is happy to offer alternative formats, auxiliary aids, and services necessary so that any individual can participate in Mass Cultural Council’s programs and services. Contact staff for help. To facilitate your request in a timely manner, please contact us at least two weeks before any Mass Cultural Council event or grant deadline. Please read the full Access Policy for more information.
Conflict of Interest
To ensure that all Mass Cultural Council review panels are free from conflicts of interest and/or the appearance of such conflicts, panelists are required to disclose any current or prospective affiliations they or their immediate family members have with an actual or potential applicant. “Affiliations” applies to employment, board memberships, independent contractual relationships, advisory or policy relationships, substantial contributor relationships, or other financial relationships. In addition, panelists are required to disclose any past or current adversarial relationships with actual or potential applicants of a professional or personal nature. Mass Cultural Council members are not permitted to participate in discussions or votes relating to any applicant with whom they have an affiliation or relating to any applicants competing with that applicant.
Reconsideration Policy
An applicant may request reconsideration of a Mass Cultural Council decision on their application if the applicant can demonstrate that the Mass Cultural Council failed to follow published application and review procedures. Dissatisfaction with the results of a review does not constitute grounds for reconsideration, however.
The first step in the reconsideration process is to consult with the appropriate Program Staff to discuss the review process that concluded in Mass Cultural Council’s decision. If the applicant wishes to pursue a reconsideration, a request must be sent to the Mass Cultural Council’s Executive Director, in writing, within 30 days of the Mass Cultural Council’s notification to the applicant of its decision. All requests will go to the Mass Cultural Council members for reconsideration no earlier than its next scheduled Council meeting.
