1. What is the Robert D. Beckmann Emerging Artist Fellowship Program?
Each summer, the Arts Council of Indianapolis awards two $3,500 fellowship awards to a local emerging artist. For the purposes of this fellowship program, we define an emerging artist as an artist that shows exceptional promise, that has mastered the basic techniques in his/her art form, and is attempting to launch a professional career in the arts. Quite simply, it is an artist who is professionally unrecognized but stylistically evolved.
For more information, visit the program's webpage.
2. What is the Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship Program?
Every two years, the Arts Council of Indianapolis awards $10,000 fellowships to individual artists and arts administrators through the Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship Program. The Creative Renewal program, funded by Lilly Endowment Inc., awards $10,000 to each of the 30 selected artists and arts administrators. The program is designed to celebrate the work of individual artists and arts administrators and offers the participants unique and challenging ways to renew and refresh their creativity.
The program is a two-year grant program. The first round of fellowship recipients was announced in 1999, the second round in 2001, the third round in 2003, the fourth round in 2005, the fifth in 2007, the sixth in 2009, the seventh in 2011, the eighth round in 2013, and the current round is for 2017.
For more information, visit the program's webpage.
3. What is the Transformational Impact Fellowship Program?
In 2015, the Arts Council of Indianapolis launched a pilot program titled the Transformational Impact Fellowship. The program is the next phase in the evolution of the hugely successful and nationally recognized Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship Program. Through the program, the Arts Council awards two $100,000, two-year fellowships to artists and/or artist teams working in partnership with a non-profit organization, community and/or neighborhood in Marion County. This fellowship program is a direct response to the rise and development of the collective impact model in Indianapolis for community and civic organizations from all sectors to come together to realize big ideas that can transform a neighborhood, a community, or a city. For more information, visit the program's webpage.
4. What is the DeHaan Artist of Distinction Award Program?
In 2017, the Christel DeHaan Family Foundation and the Arts Council of Indianapolis created a new artist grant/award program to provide quick turnaround project funding for professional artists in Indiana that promotes, celebrates, recognizes, and rewards excellence. The DeHaan Artist of Distinction Award Program will honor up to five contemporary visual artists with grants of up to $10,000 each year for aspirational visual arts projects. It is intended to allow a high-tolerance for risk and exploration and will provide support of an artist's creative practice that will help him/her push their work in dynamic ways. For more information, visit the program's webpage.
5. How can I find out about other funding opportunities?
Each week, the Arts Council distributes an Artist Opportunities E-Newsletter which lists additional funding and presentation opportunities in Indianapolis and elsewhere. Click here to subscribe to the e-news.
