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McKnight Artist & Culture Bearer Fellowships

Working artists activate our communities and deepen the dimension and quality of our lives.

Support for individual artists has been a focus of the McKnight Foundation’s Arts & Culture program since its inception. McKnight Artist & Culture Bearer Fellowships increase the exploratory opportunity, economic stability, and productive capacity of artists by providing $25,000 in unrestricted support for midcareer artists and discipline-specific artistic and professional development opportunities.

How to Apply

Contact one of our fellowship program partners below for discipline-specific deadlines, guidelines, and further information.

Book Artists

Minnesota Center for Book Arts

Fellowships: Two $25,000 Awards.

Ceramic Artists

Northern Clay Center

Fellowships: Two $25,000 Awards.
Residencies: $5,000 for a 3-month residency in Minnesota, plus $300 for a public workshop.

Choreographers

Artspace

Fellowships: Three $25,000 awards.

Composers

American Composers Forum

Fellowships: Four $25,000 awards, plus one month at an artist residency site.
Residencies: $15,000 for a two-month residency in Minnesota.

Culture Bearers

Indigenous Roots

Fellowships: Four $25,000 awards to culture bearers who practice sacred and healing lifeways and share cultural art practices across generations.

Dancers

Artspace

Fellowships: Three $25,000 awards.

Fiber Artists

Textile Center

Fellowships: Two $25,000 awards.

Media Artists

FilmNorth

Fellowships: Four $25,000 awards.

Musicians

MacPhail Center for Music

Fellowships: Four $25,000 awards, plus an optional $2,500 each for a community project. Five additional finalists receive $1,000 for audition.

Playwrights

The Playwrights’ Center

Fellowships: Two $25,000 awards.
National residency and commission: $12,500 award for a residency in Minnesota.

Printmakers

Highpoint Center for Printmaking

Fellowships: Two $25,000 awards.

Theater Artists

The Playwrights’ Center

Fellowships: Three $25,000 awards to actors, directors, theatrical designers, and others whose main body of work is primarily an element of theater production.

Visual Artists

Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Fellowships: Six $25,000 awards.

Writers

The Loft

Fellowships: Four $25,000 awards to writers of poetry or prose in alternating years. One award of $25,000 to a writer of children’s literature.

Additional Fellowship Partners

The McKnight Artist Fellowships program works with two additional partners to support artists and culture bearers throughout their fellowship experiences.

Fellow Residencies

Artist Communities Alliance

Artist Communities Alliance administers the McKnight Artist Residency Consortium designing residencies for McKnight fellows and supporting the community of participating residence sites.

Support Services

Springboard for the Arts

Springboard for the Arts provides information sessions and support for artists and culture bearers who apply for McKnight fellowships; offers professional development and customized consultation opportunities for McKnight fellows; and supports the community of fellowship partners.

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