2023 APPLICATION RESOURCES
Application Release
August 8, 2022 at 9 a.m.
Draft Submission Deadline
September 25, 2022 at 11:59 p.m.
Application Deadline
October 16, 2022 at 11:59 p.m.
Adjudication
October - November 2022
Award Notification
Early- to mid-December 2022
Fellowship Duration
January 1, 2023 - December 31, 2023
Click here to review the 2023 Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellowship Guidelines
Applicants may submit a preliminary draft of their application for feedback from the Indy Arts Council grant services team. Please submit a draft by September 25, 2022 at 11:59 p.m.
Applicants will be notified of award status in December 2022.
Applicants are invited to attend the following free application workshops:
- August 19, 2022 at 4 p.m. (vitural) Watch the Recording
- September 8, 2022 at 10 a.m. (vitural)
- September 20, 2022 at 12 p.m. (vitural)
Virtual:
We can answer questions during open office hours every other Tuesday from 11 a.m. to noon. Register here.
In-person at Indy Arts Council:
Join us for in-person office hours from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Oct. 5, 2023. Applicants can use our WiFi, get assistance with uploading documents, and request any last minute support. No registration required.
ABOUT THE BECKMANN EMERGING ARTIST FELLOWSHIP
The Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellowship Program awards two $3,500 fellowships each year to qualified and talented artists in music, dance, theatre, literature, media and/or the visual arts.
The program consists of two distinct components. The first component, a monetary award in the amount of $3,500, will be awarded for supplies, instruction, workshops, studio or rehearsal space, or other uses specifically related to the growth and development of the artist’s artistic work. In addition to the grant, the fellows will receive professional development and growth opportunities through the Arts Council of Indianapolis. This fellowship program seeks to introduce and provide experiences, connections, and relationships with professional arts institutions and professional artists in central Indiana.
Applications for the 2023 fellowship period are closed. Applications for the 2024 Beckmann Emerging Artist Fellowship will open on August 7, 2023.
For more information, please contact the Grant Services department at (317) 631-3301 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Meet the 2023 Beckmann Emerging Artist Fellows
Jade Davidson
Jade Davidson is a self-taught singer/songwriter, guitarist, and music producer who describes her style as “bluesy grit” mixed with indie and jazz. For her, music has always been a way to transcend difficult emotions; she was 12 when she wrote her first song, about her brother’s struggle with depression. “Music was therapy and a friend to me,” she says.
As a 2023 Beckmann Emerging Artist, she plans to record and produce new music. “People’s souls need art,” she says. “I want to be a bridge for that connection, so people know that they are not alone–and that anything can be made into something that’s beautiful.”
Matthew Cooper
Matthew Cooper is an emerging self-taught artist specializing in mixed media paintings. He received his ALA from Vincennes University in 2012 and attended IUPUI Herron Art & Design where he studied drawing and minored in Africana studies. From exhibiting in galleries during his early career, to being commissioned to paint murals around Indianapolis and becoming a featured artist at Indy Arts Council and Circle City Industrial Complex in 2021, Matthew is leaving his mark on his hometown of Indianapolis.
2022 Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellows:
Chantel Massey - poet
Natalie Clevenger - choreographer
Taylor Bamgbose - visual artist & writer
2021 Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellows:
Addie Kosten - musician
Mickey Young - musician
2020 Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellows:
Manon Voice - spoken word
Joshua Thompson - musician
2019 Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellows:
Gary Gee - ceramicist and painter
Jaclyn Head - ceramicist
2018 Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellows:
Alicia Zanoni - painter
TOO Black - spoken word artist
2017 Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellows:
Derrick Carter - painter
Eric Salazar - musician
2016 Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellows:
Jessical Ucul - photographer
Stuart Coleman - dancer
2015 Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellows:
Betsy Boxberger - dancer
Kassim Norris - filmmaker
2014 Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellows:
Ash Robinson - conceptual artist
Melissa Kistler - sculptor
2013 Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellows:
Adam Bodony - conductor
Amelia Morris - photographer
2012 Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellows:
Joseph Crone - visual artist
Michael Burke - theatre director
2011 Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellows:
Kathryn Dart - painter
Patrick McCarney - lighting designer
2010 Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellows:
Diane L. Lewis - poet
Emily Budd - sculptor
2009 Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellows:
Christina Block - musician
Cindy Hinant - installation artist
2008 Inaugural Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellows:
Kate Oberreich - painter
Kyle Herrington - painter
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