California Community Foundation 2012 Fellowship for Visual Artists

The California Community Foundation Fellowship for Visual Artists supports emerging and mid-career visual artists in Los Angeles County. The award is an unrestricted grant of $15,000 for emerging artists and $20,000 for mid-career artists, to be spent according to the greatest need of the artist. The panel will consider the artist's entire career and future promise. Eleven mid-career fellowships and four emerging artist fellowships will be awarded.

Mid-career artists must have seven or more years of active professional experience, documented exhibition history, publications, or other significant proof of professional accomplishments. Emerging artists must have up to seven years of professional experience. All applicants must be full-time residents of Los Angeles County (9 months per year) for at least the last five consecutive years (mid-career) or three consecutive years (emerging) prior to the application deadline. Artists must be working in visual arts including painting, drawing, photography, printmaking, sculpture, installation, experimental film and video, interdisciplinary/mixed media, or performance art in which visual art is a significant and integral component. Students pursuing undergraduate or graduate degrees and California Community Foundation employees and their immediate family members are not eligible. Previous recipients of a mid-career fellowship are not eligible for another mid-career award, though emerging artist fellowship recipients may apply for the mid-career award.

The fellowship includes a mandatory artists' retreat in fall 2012 with sessions on accounting and legal issues, money management, negotiations, and alternative financing options. Applicants will be notified of award determination by July 1, 2012. Selection is based on artistic quality and merit, past artistic accomplishments, impact of the fellowship on the artist's career, work representative of Los Angeles' diverse communities, and the artist's contributions to the cultural vitality of Los Angeles. Work sample requirements: 0-6 images, 0-1 video, with a minimum of 1 total sample and maximum of 6 total samples.