Visual Arts Fellowships 2024–25

Professional Artists

1. You must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States, as well as a current legal resident of Virginia, and have been so for at least 24 consecutive months prior to the application deadline.
2. You must continue to be a legal resident of Virginia for the Fellowship period of May 2023–May 2024. A legal resident has a valid Virginia driver’s license, and/or pays income taxes in Virginia, and/or is a registered Virginia voter. Applicants must be able to provide verification of residency upon request.
3. You cannot be a degree-seeking student at the time of the application deadline nor plan to be a degree-seeking student during the Fellowship period of May 2023–May 2024.

NOTE: If you are a final year student graduating in May 2023, please apply for professional fellowship.

Professional Artists who are NOT ELIGIBLE include the following:

• 1. Recipients of a VMFA Professional Fellowship after July 2017
  2. Recipients of three or more Fellowships in any category
  3. Full-time VMFA employees
  4. Students currently enrolled full time in a degree-seeking program at the time of the application deadline (Nov 2022) unless they are graduating May 2023

NOTE: Students in their final year of a degree-seeking program who will graduate in May 2023 are eligible professional candidates.

Students (Graduate and Undergraduate)

1. You must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States, as well as a current legal resident of Virginia, and have been so for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the application deadline.
2. You must continue to be a legal resident of Virginia for the Fellowship period of May 2023–May 2024. A legal resident has a valid Virginia driver’s license, and/or pays income taxes in Virginia, and/or is a registered Virginia voter.
3. Students paying in-state tuition to an accredited Virginia college, university, or school of the arts qualify as legal residents of Virginia. If you do not qualify for in-state tuition in Virginia, you may not apply for a VMFA Fellowship until you establish Virginia residency. If you are a legal Virginia resident but attend school full-time outside of Virginia, you may still apply. Applicants must be able to provide verification of residency upon request.
4. You must be planning to be enrolled full-time and qualify as a Virginia resident as outlined above for the entire academic year Aug 2023–May 2024 at an accredited college, university, or school of the arts.
5. Half-year fall semester Fellowship awards (worth $3,000 for graduate students and $2,000 for undergraduate students) may be considered on a case-by-case basis for full-time students in the final year of a degree program who plan to graduate in Dec 2023.

Student Artists who are NOT ELIGIBLE include the following:

• 1. Recipients of three or more Fellowships in any category
  2. Full-time VMFA employees
  3. Students that will NOT be enrolled full time in a degree seeking program during the fellowship period May 2023-May 2024.

Fellowship applicants’ works are reviewed in a blind selection by distinguished jurors.

Jurors do not see the applicant’s information or the applicant’s resume.

Awards are based solely on artistic merit.

All applicants will be notified by mail no later than the third week of February 2023.

VMFA does not provide written or verbal explanations regarding the awards.

To complete your application follow the step by step process outlined below.

Required items (in order of completion):

1. RESUME: Upload your most current resume or CV. Note: this is for internal use only. Juror(s) do not see the applicant resumes.
2. TRANSCRIPT (Undergraduate and Graduate Students ONLY): A most recent unofficial transcript.
3. ARTIST STATEMENT:Upload a 200 words maximum artistic statement about the work you are submitting. (art history applicants do not submit an artistic statement). The applicant’s name should not appear on the artistic statement. Accepted File Formats: .pdf, .doc, .docx.
4. Work Sample list: Applicants are to provide the following information along with samples of their work:
   1. Title of the work
   2. Date (year) of completion
   3. Description optional (for film/video include primary responsibilities)
      NOTE: We highly recommend adding a description.
   4. Media (for film/video categorize the as narrative, animation, or experimental)
   5. Dimensions (for film/video include running time)

Help?

Frequently Asked Questions

April Heitchue | Fellowship Coordinator
804.204.2685
vmfafellowships@vmfa.museum

Overview

Applicants must select the one discipline that most closely corresponds to the work they are submitting. Submissions are not judged within these disciplines, but instead within eligibility categories (professional, graduate, undergraduate) across all disciplines. Artists may apply only once during each Fellowship cycle.

Submitting images/videos that do not follow the guidelines (below) as they pertain to your selected discipline will result in disqualification.

If you have any questions on the instructions below please contact the Fellowship Office via email or phone.

Rules & Guidelines by discipline

Crafts, Drawing, Mixed Media, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, or Sculpture

1. A work sample consists of a total of eight digital images (25MB maximum).
2. Of the eight images, at least six must represent individual works; no more than two images may be details of the individual works.
3. Professionals: All works must have been completed in the past three years. No works in progress.
4. Students:  At least four of the works must have been completed in the past three years. No works in progress.
5. No legible names or signatures may appear on the digital images to ensure anonymity with the juror(s).

Guidelines

File Format: JPG or jpeg ONLY, No gifs, tiffs, or other formats will be accepted.

1. Image Size: Maximum total upload size for eight images is 25MB.
   NOTE: You DO NOT need to have the same file size/resolution for each image.
2. **File name:
   • Your Last NameFirst Name_VMFA_1
     Your Last NameFirst Name_VMFA_2
     and so on.

NOTE: Submitting a work sample that is not named correctly will result in disqualification. If you try to
submit more than 25mb, the online form will alert you that your file size is too large.
** File names can contain your name but the images themselves cannot.

Film/Video

Rules

1. Film/video applicants may submit personally conceived works in the following categories only: Narrative, Animation, and Experimental.
2. Only noncommercial, non-instructional works over which the applicant has exclusive control and primary creative responsibility will be accepted.
3. No music videos will be considered.
4. Submit video samples of three individual works total 15 minutes (maximum) in length.
5. Work can be submitted online by providing a direct link to your downloadable video.
   1. Works should be uploaded to a host site, i.e. Vimeo, Dropbox, or Google Drive. Be sure that all works are able to be downloaded and not just viewed.
6. Professionals: All works must have been completed in the last three years. No works in progress will be accepted.
7. Students: At least one of the works must have been completed in the last three years. No works in progress will be accepted
8. No legible names, credits, or signatures may appear on the individual on-screen works to ensure anonymity with the juror(s).

Guidelines

1. Time: Total work sample consists of a 15-minute (maximum) in length.
2. **File Name:
   • Your Last NameFirst Name_VMFA_1
     Your Last NameFirst Name_VMFA_2
     and so on.
3. Videos must be downloadable. If you have password protected your submissions, please provide the password in your application.
4. Videos must be uploaded (as specified) to host site before work sample form is submitted.

NOTE: Submitting a work sample that is not downloadable, not named correctly, and/or exceeds the time limit will result in disqualification.
** File names can contain your name but the videos themselvescannot.

New/Emerging Media

1. New/Emerging Media refers to works of art made using nontraditional techniques that do not fit into one of the other eight disciplines listed. Examples of New/Emerging Media art could be, but are not limited to, combined media installations, environmental or site-specific artwork, digital artwork, or interactive artwork.
2. A work sample consists of either uploaded images (option A) or film/video samples (option B) or a mix of both images and film (option C).
   • Option A: Total of eight digital images (25MB). Of the eight images, at least six must represent individual works; no more than two images may be details of the individual works.
   • Option B: Video samples of six individual works total 15 minutes (maximum) in length.
   • Option C: Four images total maximum size 25MB and four video samples maximum total 10 minutes.
3. Professionals: All works must have been completed in the last three years.  No works in progress will be accepted.
4. Students: At least one of the works must have been completed in the last three years. No works in progress will be accepted.
5. No legible names, credits, or signatures may appear to ensure anonymity with the juror(s).

Guidelines

Option A: Follow the Crafts, Drawing, etc. submission guidelines.

Option B: Follow the Film/Video submission guidelines.

Option C: Follow both Crafts, Drawing etc. and Film/Video submission guidelines.

NOTE: Submitting a work sample that does not follow the rules & guidelines pertaining to your selected discipline will result in disqualification.

Art History (Graduate students only)

Rules

1. A work sample consists of three research papers or published articles.
2. All papers or published articles must have been written in the past three years and in English.
3. Art History applicants must have sole authorship of their work sample submissions.

Note: The applicant’s name should not appear anywhere within the papers/documents to ensure anonymity with the juror(s).

Guidelines

1. File Format: Format papers as word (.doc or .docx) or (.pdf) files.
2. **File name:
   • Your Last NameFirst Name_VMFA_1
     Your Last NameFirst Name_VMFA_2
     and so on.

NOTE: Submitting a work sample that does not follow the rules & guidelines pertaining to your selected discipline will result in disqualification.
** File names can contain your name but the documents themselvescannot.