Fellowships support artist residencies of up to two months for two Pittsburgh-area artists.
Peterborough, NH -- April 3, 2012 -- Artists based in the greater Pittsburgh area are encouraged to apply by April 15th for fall residencies at The MacDowell Colony supported by The Heinz Endowments.
The Heinz Endowments Fellowships cover all residency costs for artists of any discipline to work for up to two months in studios on the famed artist colony’s 450 acres in Peterborough, New Hampshire. MacDowell cultivates a vibrant creative community in which more than 250 artists at all career stages from the United States and abroad come to work each year. At the Colony, artists receive use of a private studio, all meals and accommodations, and opportunities for creative exchanges with fellow artists from all over the world. These amenities have made a difference in the work of emerging artists who went on to distinguished careers, including Michael Chabon, Aaron Copland, Glenn Ligon, Suzan-Lori Parks, and Anna Schuleit, to name a few.
The Heinz Endowments supports efforts to make southwestern Pennsylvania a premier place to live and work, a center for learning and educational excellence, and a region that embraces diversity and inclusion. By providing Pittsburgh artists with access to a program that is global in scope, the Endowments aims to foster new ideas and exchanges that, combined with the work the artists bring back with them, will enrich the Pittsburgh arts community as a whole.
“We believe that we need to do much more to recognize and support the region’s artists,” says Endowments Arts & Culture Senior Program Director Janet Sarbaugh. “The region has identified its outstanding cultural life as one of our most important strengths, but too often we lose sight of the fact that this asset would not exist without the individual artist. Through grants such as this one to The MacDowell Colony, we seek to provide opportunities for professional development and recognition for our artists as the important community assets that they are.” The Heinz Endowments Fellowships are open to artists who reside in Pittsburgh or the following surrounding counties: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington, and Westmoreland. Applications are encouraged in seven disciplines: architecture, film/video, interdisciplinary art, music composition, theatre, visual art, and literature. In addition residency support, MacDowell offers financial aid for artists of demonstrated need to cover ongoing costs associated with taking time off for a residency.
To be considered for the Fellowships, artists must first be accepted for a residency at MacDowell by following the Colony’s standard online application process at www.macdowellcolony.org.
While Fellowships at MacDowell are not monetary awards, they carry prestige for the recipients and help the Colony fund residencies for all artists who work at MacDowell. Through partnerships with funders and arts patrons, the Colony raises not only critical funds but also its visibility, which serves to attract artists who may not know about residency opportunities.
The application deadline for MacDowell’s fall residency period is April 15th. The sole criterion for acceptance is talent; a panel of experts in each discipline determines which applicants receive Fellowships and residencies at the Colony.
