Wyoming Arts Council Visual Arts Fellowships 2021

Visual Arts Fellowships are $3,000 unrestricted awards of merit based on the artist's portfolio, honoring the work of Wyoming visual artists whose work reflects serious and exceptional aesthetic investigation. Artists working in any media, including film and video, may apply. Applications are juried by noted artists, curators, and others in the visual arts from outside the state. Up to three fellowships may be given each year, and jurors may also select honorable mentions. Recipients exhibit their work in the Wyoming Arts Council Biennial Exhibit, held every two years at a major visual arts institution or museum in the state. The exhibition is curated by one of the jurors, who serves on the panel for two years.

Artists working in any visual media are invited to apply, including experimental, graphic, painting, sculpture, installation, photography, clay, fiber, glass, leather, metal, paper, plastic, wood, mixed media, film, or video. Artists may submit up to ten work samples, of which up to two may be detail images. Film and video applicants may submit up to four samples and have the option to submit stills; jurors will only be required to watch up to ten minutes of a film or video submission. Work must have been created within the past five years. Applicants must submit an artist's statement and verify that they meet eligibility requirements. Names must not appear anywhere on the application or work samples except where specifically requested to preserve the anonymous nature of judging.

Eligibility requirements include: must be at least 18 years of age; must not be a full-time student pursuing high school, college, or university art-related degrees; must be a U.S. citizen or have legal resident status; may not be affiliated with the Wyoming Arts Council as a board member, staff member, or their families; may not be an employee of the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources; must have been domiciled within Wyoming for a total of 20 months in the previous two years; must remain a Wyoming resident for at least one year after award, living in the state for at least ten months of the year; must register or update information in the Wyoming Arts Council's Artists and Venues Directory; must not have received a Visual Arts fellowship within the last four years; may receive a total of two fellowship awards in a lifetime; may enter the competition only once by the deadline. Fellowship recipients agree to participate in the Wyoming Arts Council Biennial Exhibition and are included in the catalog produced. Recipients receive $3,000 up front, must sign a contract verifying eligibility, must supply a bio and head shot for publicity, retain all rights to work, and must create an impact statement due August 31, 2021, sharing how the award helped them and what they accomplished during the year received.