Apply now! The 2024 New Jersey State Council on the Arts Individual Artist Fellowship guidelines and application are now available. Fellowships are awarded to practicing New Jersey artists through an anonymous, competitive application process to help them pursue their artistic goals.

The categories for the 2024 Individual Artist Fellowship are:

Film/Video

Digital/Electronic

Interdisciplinary

Painting

Prose

Printmaking/Drawing/Book Arts

Fellowship awards have ranged in the past from $4,000 - $32,000. The amount of the award is determined annually by the State Arts Council based on funding provided through the New Jersey Hotel/Motel tax. Fellowships are awarded to applicants who demonstrate the highest artistic talent, with no cap or quota per artistic discipline. In 2023, from a total of 635 eligible applications, 140 Fellowships and Finalist awards were granted in seven categories. Grant awards totaled $1,705,225. Awards are issued pending the availability of funds.

Additional Funding for Artists from Southern NJ and Warren County

Due to the State Arts Council's outreach strategies over the past decade, we consistently receive applications from culturally diverse artists working in a wide range of disciplines from across the state. These efforts have been less successful, however, in reaching artists fully representative of New Jersey's geographic diversity. In an attempt to increase the representation of artists from the Counties from which the number of applications is historically low, the State Arts Council will be offering awards in higher amounts, when possible, for Fellows in the following Counties: Atlantic, Burlington, Cumberland, Cape May, Camden, Gloucester, Ocean, Salem, or Warren.

The Fellowship application review process remains anonymous and unchanged. As always, awards will be decided based solely on artistic excellence as determined by a panel of specialists in a specific discipline. Any artist selected for funding based on the anonymous review process whose permanent address is later verified to be in one of the above-mentioned counties will automatically be considered for additional funding.

Program guidelines, a link to the online application, webinar registration links, and other application assistance resources are available on the Mid Atlantic Arts website.

The deadline for 2024 applications is 5:00 PM ET on July 13, 2023.

Guidelines are available in both English and Spanish.

Application Assistance Is Available

Webinars

These optional webinars allow applicants to attend a scheduled training session online and offer opportunities to ask general questions about the program and application. Registration is required to participate in the webinars. Individuals that register for the webinars will receive the connection information and instructions via email. To register, click on your desired webinar date. Please note that both webinars cover the same information.

Webinar 1: Wednesday, June 14, 2023 | 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM ET

Webinar 2: Thursday, June 29, 2023 | 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM ET

Auto-generated closed captioning through Zoom Webinar as well as live ASL interpretation will be provided during both webinars. For other accommodation requests, please contact fellowships@midatlanticarts.org or 410-539-6656 x101 at least five business days prior to the webinar.

Quick Start Video Tutorial

The Quick Start video offers a basic introduction to Mid Atlantic Arts’ new SmartSimple application software and can be found on the Mid Atlantic Arts website and YouTube channel.

Work Sample Preparation Guide

Assists artists with the technical requirements for audio, video, image, and literary work samples and addresses many frequently asked questions. The document is available here.

The application submission, review, and post-award process for the Individual Artist Fellowships is administered by Mid Atlantic Arts in partnership with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, created in 1966, is a division of the NJ Department of State and a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. The Council was established to encourage and foster public interest in the arts; enlarge public and private resources devoted to the arts; promote freedom of expression in the arts; and facilitate the inclusion of art in every public building in New Jersey. The Council believes the arts are central to every element we value most in a modern society including: human understanding; cultural and civic pride; strong communities; excellent schools; lifelong learning; creative expression; and economic opportunity. To learn more about the Council, please visit www.artscouncil.nj.gov.

Mid Atlantic Arts was established in 1979 to promote and support multi-state arts programming in a region that includes Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, and West Virginia. It is one of six regional arts organizations in the United States, and works in close partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and its member state and jurisdictional arts agencies. Mid Atlantic Arts distinguishes itself through its work in international cultural exchange, model programs in performing arts touring, its knowledge and presence in the jazz field, and its support of folk and traditional arts. Learn more at midatlanticarts.org.