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The Phillips Collection, DC Public Library, and The Nicholson Project launch new fellowship for DC artists
Fellowship supports local artists and provides opportunities to grow professional careers; art to be exhibited in spaces around Washington, DC.
WASHINGTON, DC— The Phillips Collection, DC Public Library, and The Nicholson Project are partnering to pilot the Collaborative Arts Resource District Fellowship Program (CARD), a collaborative 12-week fellowship that connects artists with professional and financial resources to create and bolster sustainable art careers and foster the contemporary art community in the Washington, DC, area. Three awarded Fellows will receive tangible support to advance their craft, including a stipend, access to archives and art collections, connections to leaders and institutions in the Washington metropolitan area, mentorship opportunities, and the opportunity to exhibit their work. Applications open June 5 and will be accepted until July 10. To apply, visit www.phillipscollection.org/card-fellowship.
Open to artists across visual art disciplines, the CARD Fellowship offers a dynamic environment for the Fellows’ work to sustain resonance, impact, and value, demonstrating the diverse scope of the District’s arts community. The program is tailored to the Fellows’ individual needs and leverages assets across the three institutions to help them meet their goals at key moments in their careers and engage with a full spectrum of audiences.
“The Phillips Collection is proud to partner with the DC Public Library and The Nicholson Project as we work together to build a more inclusive arts community in Washington. The Phillips’s partnership in the CARD Fellowship is focused on accessibility and eliminating barriers between the museum and artists to help them navigate the industry,” says Vradenburg Director & CEO Jonathan P. Binstock. “By welcoming artists into the museum’s galleries, library, and archives, in addition to introducing them to curators, fabricators, and other professionals, they can gain knowledge and insight only accessible by being within the museum environment.”
Artists will be selected based on their innovative and impactful concepts and practice; artistic skills and craftsmanship; and demonstration of both a desire and a clear indication that the fellowship will benefit the growth of their artistic practice. “We’re interested in learning about the artists’ paths—where they want to go and work with them wherever they are in their journey to provide support and help them explore what’s available from the organizing institutions’ assets,” says The Phillips Collection’s Senior Director for Programming and Community Engagement Nehemiah Dixon III. Dixon’s conversations with the DC Public Library’s Director of Events, Exhibits & Development Linnea Haggerty sparked the idea for a fellowship program to elevate artists’ capacity for continued contribution to the city’s vibrant community and the field at large.
"The Collaborative Arts Resource District Fellowship Program is a significant step forward for our arts community. As we understand the challenges artists face in their careers, this unique initiative supports our local talent, fostering sustainable growth and innovation,” says Rich Reyes-Gavilan, Executive Director of DC Public Library. “The goal is simple yet ambitious: to create a thriving, resilient arts scene in the District. The Library is keen to witness the transformative power of this fellowship and its longterm effects on our community.”
“The Nicholson Project was founded with a deep commitment to providing artists with the time, space, and support they need to create and to further their practice, during their time working with us and beyond. The CARD Fellowship is a perfect extension of this ethos,” says Allison Nance, Managing Director of The Nicholson Project. “We are thrilled to partner with The Phillips Collection and DC Public Library to bridge the gaps in DC’s support system for local artists, and provide collaborative access and support local artists need to bolster their creative practices and thrive in our City.”
CARD FELLOWS RECEIVE:
- 12-week fellowship
- $5,000 stipend
- Regular in-person gatherings and meetings with participants, consultations, and studio visits with professionals from partnering organizations, as well as visiting professionals
- Opportunities to exhibit/present work/activations at The Phillips Collection, DC Public Library, or The Nicholson Project • A commissioned piece of writing about the artist’s work
- Promotional support of their artwork and professional development opportunities ELIGIBILITY To be eligible for the program, artists must: • Reside and work within the Washington, DC area, including suburbs
- Are at any stage of their careers
- Have not had a significant solo exhibition or residency within the past five years
- Be 18 years of age or older.
Trustees, staff, volunteers, and their immediate families of the host organizations are not eligible to participate.
TIMELINE
Applications open: June 5-July 10, 2023
Selected Fellows notified: August 7, 2023
Fellowship dates: September 18-December 15, 2023
PARTNERS
The CARD Fellowship is co-organized by The Phillips Collection, District of Columbia Public Library, and The Nicholson Project.
QUESTIONS
For specific entry questions, please visit www.phillipscollection.org/card-fellowship or contact card@phillipscollection.org. For press inquiries, please contact Lauryn Cantrell, lcantrell@phillipscollection.org.
ABOUT THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION
The Phillips Collection, America’s first museum of modern art, was founded in 1921. The museum houses one of the world’s most celebrated Impressionist and American modern art collections and continues to grow its collection with important contemporary voices. Its distinctive building combines extensive new galleries with the former home of its founder, Duncan Phillips. The Phillips’s impact spreads nationally and internationally through its diverse and experimental special exhibitions and events, including its award-winning education programs for educators, students, and adults; renowned Phillips Music series; and dynamic art and wellness and Phillips after 5 events. The museum contributes to global dialogues with events like Conversations with Artists and Artists of Conscience. The Phillips Collection values its community partnership with THEARC—the museum’s satellite campus in Southeast DC. The Phillips Collection is a private, non-government museum, supported primarily by donations.
ABOUT DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PUBLIC LIBRARY
The District of Columbia Public Library is a vibrant center of activity for residents and visitors in the nation’s capital. The library provides environments that invite reading, learning and community discussion and equips people to learn all their lives, to embrace diversity and to build a thriving city. They are proud to be a recognized force in the community for engaging the mind, expanding opportunities and elevating the quality of life.
ABOUT THE NICHOLSON PROJECT
The Nicholson Project is an artist residency program and neighborhood garden in Washington, DC’s Ward 7 Fairlawn neighborhood. Their mission is to support, provide opportunities, engage, and amplify artists and creatives from our community and the local artist community—particularly artists of color and those from Ward 7 and 8—while engaging their neighbors through community-based programming. Their vision is to serve as a cultural hub and community anchor celebrating Ward 7’s authentic identity while infusing new vibrancy into Southeast DC. They hope to inspire others to use similar non-traditional arts and community-centered projects as a pathway toward stronger, more vibrant communities.