The Fellowship Program honors Oregon's professional artists and their achievements while supporting efforts to advance their careers.
The next deadline for the Fellowship program is for
Visual Arts.
The Arts Commission offers Fellowships in multiple artistic disciplines in alternating years:
- Performing Arts (choreography, dance, music composition, music performance, theater, performance art, storytelling and puppetry).
- Visual Arts (crafts, drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, mixed media, new media, fashion, graphic design and industrial design).
- Funding partnerships with
Literary Arts and
PAM CUT (Center for an Untold Tomorrow; previously the Northwest Film Center) support fellowships in Literary and Media Arts.
Artists from underserved communities, including (but not limited to) rural communities and communities of color, are especially encouraged to apply.
Deadline: The application period closes on October 11, 2023 at 5:00 pm.
At the time of the application deadline, all applicants must:
- Be 18 years of age or older;
- Have not received an Oregon Arts Commission Fellowship in the prior five years;
- Have been domiciled in Oregon for at least one year (domicile is a person’s fixed, permanent and principal home for legal purposes);
- Not be enrolled (either part- or full-time) in a creative degree program;
- Submit an individual application. While the Arts Commission acknowledges that many artists work collaboratively, awards will be made only to individual artists;
- Submit only one Fellowship application per calendar year.
Awards are up to $5,000. There is no pre-determined number of Fellowships to be awarded. The Arts Commission determines awards based on number of applications and available grant funds. There are limited resources and not all applicants receive funding.
The following review criteria are used to evaluate applications:
- Aesthetic quality of the applicant’s submitted artwork;
- Artists’ sustained professional achievement; and
- Potential for the artist’s future contribution to the field.
Documentation of the artist's work is the most important component of the application and artists are strongly advised to submit well-documented and clearly identified work samples. Fellowships are awarded primarily based on the creative excellence presented in the applicant's work samples.
Program assistance is available from Ryan Burghard, Public Art & Artist Programs Coordinator, ryan.burghard@biz.oregon.gov or 971-374-30833. Technical assistance is available from Kat Bell, Grants Officer, kat.bell@biz.oregon.gov or 971-304-5044 prior to the application deadline. Applicants may also seek feedback after funding decisions have been made.
Upon request, Arts Commission funding application materials will be made available in an alternate format such as Braille, large type or on audiotape. For applicants who are hearing‐impaired and require TDD assistance, please call 800-735‐2900. Spanish-speaking applicants can contact Liora Sp onko, Senior Program Manager, liora.sponko@biz.oregon.gov or 971-345-1641.