• Unrestricted award to help advance artists career as they see fit
• Artist Bios hosted on Maine Arts Commission website and included in all digital publications
• Year-long promotion/communications of fellow's activities.
• Fellowship Reception with Maine Arts Staff and Commissioners at the Blaine House in early 2025.
• Networking and other collaborative opportunities throughout the year.

Note:

• Opportunities for fellows can change year to year and this list is subject to change throughout the year.(*Award amount is not subject to change in this FY2025 cycle)

• Fine Craft - Available for craft artists engaged in contemporary studio practice and/ or traditional materials such as clay, fiber, glass, leather, metal, paper, stone, wood, or other mediums. Craft artists residing in Washington or Hancock counties should apply for the Belvedere Handcraft Fellowship.
• Literary Arts- Available to contemporary literary artists in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, prose, and other writing genres.  Literary artists who work in the medium of scriptwriting for the stage or screen should apply in the performing arts fellowship category.
• Multimedia/Film- Available to media artists and filmmakers working in the disciplines of film, video, animation, podcasts, web series, and other performative works that are presented through a mediating technology (not meant to be experienced live).  Photography artists should apply to the Visual Arts Fellowship.
• Performing Arts- Available to artists working in disciplines including theatre, dance, music, scenic design, opera, script writing and other genres intended to be presented as a live performance.
• Traditional Arts -Available to a person for the experience and commitment to the traditional art form they practice.  The program honors Maine traditional artists who have devoted their lives to keeping a particular traditional art form alive. These arts call for a deep connection to place and local practices and play an essential role in shaping a traditional artist’s work and repertoire. This could include maintaining cultural traditions in building, writing, music, dance, textile arts, carving, weaving, boatbuilding, and other heritage expressions practiced by established populations or new immigrant artists.
• Visual Arts – Available to artists working in disciplines including painting, sculpture, printmaking, drawing, photography, installation, and other visual arts genres. Digital art can fit within this category, but artists working with the moving image may wish to apply to the Media Fellowship.

• Is an individual Maine artist or part of an artist collective (collectives may only apply once per award cycle, with one member as the primary contact and who submits the application).
• If applicable, has completed Final Reports required by the Maine Arts Commission for previous awards.
• Is a current Maine resident who has resided full-time in Maine for at least one year just prior to the application deadline.
• Will be a Maine resident throughout the project period.
• Is at least 25 years of age or older by the application deadline.
• Is not an enrolled student at the start of the award cycle (July 1) (Please contact the agency if you have questions).
• Has not been previously awarded a Maine Artist Fellowship.

 

Eligible Expenses:

There are no eligibility restrictions on how awardees may use funding.

 

Ineligible Expenses:

None

 

All applications and materials must be submitted using the online Application Portal. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to carefully review these details and call us with questions prior to beginning an application. It’s important to give yourself plenty of time to write a strong application, so be sure to start the process early!

• Create a Maine Arts Commission account. Create Now! Once you start an application, you can make changes anytime before you submit. 
• Upload support materials (see details below)
• Traditional Arts Fellowship Only:

Complete grant Narrative (to be completed in the application portal):

1. Provide an overview of your traditional art form. (700 characters max)
2. Provide a description of how you learned your art including who taught you as well as other family, tribal, ethnic, occupation influences on your work (700 characters max.)
3. How long have you been practicing your art form? (500 characters max.)
4. Provide a description of the community where you practice your art. What is your role as an artist in this community? (700 characters max.)
5. Include a description of local, state, or national recognition of your work. (700 characters max.)

 

Required Uploads:

1. A resume or CV
• If you do not have a resume, you may instead submit a bio that gives an overview of your relevant experience and achievements. Be sure to include contextual information about your experiences and achievements, e.g., when and where they took place, and with what groups, organizations, communities, and or individuals.
2. A brief statement about your work as an artist.
3. Artist samples (see below for details) 

 

Artistic Sample Guidelines:

• This could include images, audio, or video materials (Max. length: five minutes each), prose samples, poetry, etc.
• # of Samples to include (for each fellowship):
  • Belvedere Handcraft: 8 max
  • Fine Craft: 8 max
  • Literary Arts: 5 max
  • Media Arts: 8 max
  • Performing Arts: 8 max
  • Traditional Arts: 8 max
  • Visual Arts: 8 max

 

* Literary Arts applicants are limited to uploading only writing samples such as prose samples, poetry, etc.

** For ANY link submitted for review: 1 Link = 1 Support Material.

Applications missing any of the required uploads or containing more than allowed artistic samples cannot be accepted.

The Maine Arts Commission may use submitted materials solely for the non-commercial promotion of the artist and/or Maine Arts Commission programs.

 

Submitted applications are reviewed by Agency staff for completion, eligibility, and adherence to the guidelines. Compliant applications are read by a diverse panel of arts and culture professionals with appropriate expertise related to the fellowship program. Award recommendations are submitted by the panel to the Maine Arts Commission members at their bimonthly meeting for final approval. All applicants are soon notified of the awards.

 

The delivery of funds may take up to six months from the time of award notification. All applicants are notified of their award status (approved or declined) via email. Successful applicants also receive emails with documents and instructions on award acceptance. Awardees are listed on the Maine Arts Commission website.

 

Our goal is for all potential applicants to have the resources they need to submit a competitive application. If you have questions about your project or the application process, please call us at 207-287-2724. We are happy to help!

If you have questions about the technical aspects of the application form, or questions about electronic submission, please contact: Eli Cabañas, Grants and Web Manager, vog.eniam@sanabac.ile or call 207-287-6746