Rhode Island visual artists who dream of having more time to work on their craft have until August 18th to apply for $25,000 fellowships from the Rhode Island Foundation.
Established in 2003, the Robert and Margaret MacColl Johnson Fellowship Fund makes up to three grants a year, rotating among composers, writers, and visual artists on a three-year cycle. The fellowships are considered to be among the largest no-strings-attached awards available to artists in the United States.
The awards are intended to free painters, filmmakers, sculptors and other visual artists to concentrate time on the creative process, focus on personal or professional development, expand their body of work, and explore new directions.
These fellowships give local artists the resources so they can spend more time making art and less time trying to make ends meet. Previous recipients say they can be life-changing. Just ask Daniel Sousa, a Rhode Island School of Design professor whose animated film “Feral” was a 2014 Oscar nominated film (Short Film Animated).
“The fellowship has had a huge impact on my career as an artist. With ambitious projects like animated films, it’s important to have long stretches of uninterrupted time in order to benefit from the creative momentum of the process. The fellowship has given me that, as well as the confidence to take more risks and dive deeper into developing each scene.”
Applicants must have been legal residents of Rhode Island for at least 12 months prior to the August 18th deadline. High school students, college and graduate students who are enrolled in a degree-granting program, and artists who have advanced levels of career achievement are not eligible. Apply here.