New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) will conduct four regional Application and Information Seminars for its cornerstone program, Artists' Fellowships. NYFA awards $7,000 unrestricted cash grants to New York state artists working in a variety of artistic disciplines. Peer review panels select approximately 100 Fellows each year, the goal being to buy recipients creative time to continue making work. Since the Fellowships were first established in 1985, NYFA has awarded more than $22 million to over 3,500 New York artists.

These in-depth workshops will give applicants rare insight into the panel and application process, as well as an opportunity to talk with local arts professionals and NYFA staff.

Artists will be able to:

-See first-hand how NYFA's panel process works through a mock panel session.
-Consult individually with an arts professional about their application presentation (bring your portfolio).
-Participate in a dialogue with NYFA about how the Fellowships program can better serve artists throughout the state.
-Learn about funding opportunities and other areas of career development.

All seminars are free!!

The following categories will be reviewed during the 2009-2010 cycle:

Architecture/Environment Structures
Choreography
Fiction
Music/Sound
Painting
Photography
Playwriting/Screenwriting
Video

Remember:

We are offering the opportunity for each attendee to meet with a NYFA staff or NYFA-connected artist from the region to review your application portfolio. These will be 5-10 minute sessions geared towards answering specific questions you may have about your application. If you'd like to take advantage of this option, please bring along your portfolio. We will most likely not have access to a laptop, so plan to bring hard copies of your materials.

Go to www.nyfa.org/afp for details about these events.

To be eligible for a NYFA Fellowship, applicants must be a resident of New York State for at least two years prior to the application deadline and cannot be enrolled in a degree program of any kind. NYFA will begin accepting on-line submissions at www.nyfa.org/afp in early-September. Applications are due during the first week of November, please refer to the guidelines to find out the specific date for each category.