Arts Council
Call to visual and media artists for Al Smith Fellowship awards

FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Kentucky Arts Council is accepting applications for the highly competitive Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowship awards until March 15, 2011. The awards are open to professional artists and emerging artists working in the visual and media arts, including: craft, drawing, experimental and installation work, mixed media, new genre, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, film, video and audio work.

Professional artists who are residents of Kentucky are eligible to compete for a $7,500 Fellowship award.

Professional Kentucky artists who are in the early stages of their career, including but not limited to seniors and graduate students in Kentucky college or university fine arts programs, are eligible to apply for an Emerging Artist award of $1,000.

To access the guidelines, instructions and application, go to: http://bit.ly/KACfellowship.

In alternate years, the Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowship program is available to writers, composers and choreographers.

The purpose of the Fellowship program is to support Kentucky artists engaged in creating artwork of high quality and to recognize creative excellence in practicing, professional Kentucky artists. The Fellowship awards are named after retired Kentucky journalist and past arts council board chair, Al Smith.

The Fellowship program utilizes a "blind jury" process in which the panel reviews the work samples and applications according to application numbers only. Criteria for the awards include artistic excellence and professional achievement.

For more information about the Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowship program or other Kentucky Arts Council opportunities for artists, contact Tamara Coffey at 502-564-3757, 888-833-2787 or tamara.coffey@ky.gov.

The Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, creates opportunities for Kentuckians to value, participate in and benefit from the arts. Kentucky Arts Council funding is provided by the Kentucky General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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