California Arts Council’s Individual Artist Fellowships – Los Angeles County

In partnership with California Arts Council (CAC), Los Angeles Performance Practice is thrilled to serve as the Administering Organization for the Individual Artist Fellowships in Los Angeles County.

Applications are closed as of June 2nd, 2023, at 11:59 PM Pacific Time.

The Fellowships were funded with a one time grant for 2023-2024. The program has not been renewed and will not be continuing for 2024-2025. 

2023 AWARDS

Review Panelists

Applications were reviewed by a panel of artists, arts leaders, culture bearers and community members with arts and culture knowledge made up of a combination of local Los Angeles County residents and nationwide cultural workers. We thank all of the panelists for their service to the field!

Please note: If panelists submitted an application to the program, they did not adjudicate the tier in which they submitted to prevent any conflict of interest.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

The Individual Artist Fellowships program recognizes, uplifts, and celebrates the excellence of California artists practicing any art form. 

Excellence, for purposes of this program, is defined as an artist’s

• Unique artistic vision
• Ongoing commitment to creative practice
• Engagement with and impact on the larger cultural ecosystem

 

This program will support artists and cultural bearers at key moments in their careers, elevating their capacity for continued contribution to the field and our state. Fellowship awards support individual artistic practice through unrestricted funding. This program is intended to support a broad spectrum of artists working in all disciplines, from diverse geographies and communities of all sizes across the state of California.

The Individual Artist Fellowships program is a statewide initiative.

If you do not reside in Los Angeles County, but are a resident of California, you’ll find additional application information here:

• For Orange, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Imperial Counties, please visit Arts Orange County.
• For the Central Region including Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Stanislaus, Tulare, and Ventura, please visit SVCreates.
• For all other California counties, please visit the California Arts Council website.

FELLOWSHIP AWARDS

The fellowship awards will provide unrestricted funding in support of the fellows’ artistic practice. The following three tiers of funding will be available:

Emerging Artist Fellows – $5,000

Emerging artists are those in the beginning stages of making their work public and engaging the larger community in their practice. Individuals at this career stage may have had a few public showings of their work, but do not yet have ongoing resources or support.

Established Artist Fellows – $10,000

Artists in the Established tier regularly make their work public and engage the larger community in their practice. Individuals in this tier can give multiple examples of artistic and/or cultural works that have made significant social impact.

Legacy Artist Fellows – $50,000

Artists in the Legacy tier can point to a significant body of work, produced over a substantial period of time, that has engaged their communities and that has made significant social impact. Artists in this tier may be able to point to Emerging and Established Artists that they have mentored or otherwise positively influenced.

2023 ELIGIBILITY

• Must be 18 years of age or older at the time of submission
• Reside in Los Angeles County.
• Recipients of the 2021 CAC Individual Artist Fellowships are not eligible to apply.

2023 GUIDELINES

Los Angeles Performance Practice wants to thank the over 20 community partners who provided input and insight to the creation of the guidelines and process. 

FAQs

APPLICATION & REVIEW CRITERIA

Applications will be reviewed by a panel of artists, arts leaders, and culture bearers and community members with arts and culture knowledge made up of a combination of local Los Angeles County residents and nationwide cultural workers. If you are interested in serving as a panelist, click or tap the button below to complete a Panel Interest Form.

Review Panel Criteria

• Creative Vision – Artist effectively communicates their personal story, artistic medium or practice, and long-term aspirations for their work.
  
  
• Aesthetic Excellence – Artistic work and/or examples of cultural practice demonstrate strong alignment with the components of the Attributes of Excellence in Arts for Change, including commitment, communal meaning, disruption, cultural integrity, risk taking, sensory experience, emotional experience, openness, coherence, resourcefulness, and stickiness.
  
  
• Community Engagement and Social Impact – Artist effectively communicates their engagement with their community(ies) and the positive social impact their work has had locally, regionally, and/or statewide, addressing themes including but not limited to race, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.

Our team will be hosting in-person and virtual information sessions in April to review the guidelines and criteria for the program.

PROGRAM TIMELINE AND INFORMATION SESSIONS

We are excited to offer both in-person and virtual information sessions to assist applicants across the county. All times Pacific. Click or tap on dates + times to register for virtual sessions, see below for the locations of in-person sessions.

• Application Opens: April 17, 2023

• Deadline for Application: June 2, 2023 at 11:59pm PST
  
  
• Panel Review: June-July 2023
  
  
• Notification: *Updated* Mid-August 2023
  
  
• Fellowship Period: 12 months, *Updated* September 2023-August 2024

If you have any questions please reach out to us at Fellowships@PerformancePractice.org.

---

This activity is funded by the California Arts Council, a state agency.