Rhode Island Foundation MacColl Johnson Fellowships 2012

The Robert and Margaret MacColl Johnson Fellowship Fund provides up to three $25,000 artist fellowships each year, rotating among composers, writers, and visual artists on a three-year cycle. The 2012 Fellowships are awarded to writers. Fellowships are awarded to emerging and mid-career Rhode Island artists whose work demonstrates exceptional creativity, rigorous dedication and consistent artistic practice, and significant artistic merit.

Fellowships seek to advance the careers of writers committed to their artistic practice through seriousness of purpose and active engagement. The significant financial support enables artists to concentrate time on the creative process, focus on personal and professional development, expand their body of work, and explore new directions. Although Fellowships are unrestricted, Fellows are expected to devote concentrated time to their work during the term of the Fellowship and engage in activities that further their artistic growth, such as creation of new work, training in technologies or techniques, purchase of equipment or materials, travel, or research and development of artistic endeavors. Fellows will be required to submit a final report documenting activities supported by the Fellowship.

Eligibility requires Rhode Island residency for 12 months prior to the application deadline, at the time of submission, and during the fellowship period. Eligible writing genres include fiction, non-fiction, poetry (including spoken-word), playwriting, screenwriting, and other experimental/new-genre written forms. Writers working in any language are eligible; non-English literary works must include English translations. Applicants must demonstrate emerging to mid-career stage status. Established writers with 15+ years of continuous professional practice and substantial regional, national, or international recognition are not eligible. High school students and college students enrolled in degree-granting programs are not eligible. Selection criteria include quality of work, artistic development, creative contribution to literature, and ability to demonstrate that the fellowship will advance the artist's career and enable achievement of artistic goals otherwise not financially feasible.