artistic research fellowships
Folger Institute Artistic Research Fellowships are open to all artists whose work would benefit from significant primary research related to the histories, concepts, art, and objects of the early modern world (ca. 1400-1800) and its legacies.
Artistic applicants may apply for one, two, or three months of research support and have the option to take their fellowships fully onsite, fully virtual, or a combination of the two. Fellowship awards are $4,000 per virtual month and $5,000 per onsite month, and may be taken any time between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026. Applicants may propose the research schedule that best fits their project’s needs. A final art deliverable is not required upon conclusion of the fellowship residency. However, we do require all fellows to complete an evaluation survey to help us continue to improve our program.
Virtual and Hybrid Fellowships
The option to take an artistic fellowship as fully or partially virtual was designed for individuals who cannot, for a variety of reasons, travel or commit to an extended residential research period, but whose projects will be significantly advanced by the funding of access to primary sources online, dedicated time to work, and the validations of a fellowship award. By alleviating financial, professional, and personal barriers to fellowship participation, full and hybrid virtual opportunities provide greater access to research fellowships while simultaneously allowing artists to take advantage of the increasing multitude of digital resources accessible to them at home.
We also recognize that, in addition to working with archival materials, time to think, experiment, work in a home studio, and create are all equally important aspects of artistic research. As such, our virtual fellowships allow researchers to “buy time,” or use their fellowship funds to offset personal and professional expenses such as caregiving and supplementary employment. In their applications, artists must make their own best cases for how they will utilize the onsite and/or virtual portions of their fellowship.