The Wyoming Arts Council's Visual Arts Fellowships are $3,000 unrestricted awards of merit, based on the artist’s portfolio, honoring the work of Wyoming visual artists whose work reflects serious and exceptional aesthetic investigation. Artists working in any media, including film and video, may apply. Applications are juried by noted artists, curators, and others in the visual arts from outside the state. Up to three fellowships may be given each year, and jurors may also select honorable mentions. Recipients of the Visual Arts fellowships exhibit their work in the Wyoming Arts Council Biennial Exhibit, held every two years at a major visual arts institution or museum in the state. The winners of this year's fellowship will exhibit at the University of Wyoming Art Museum in the fall of 2023. The exhibition is curated by one of the jurors, who serves on the panel for two years. Applicants must be Wyoming residents. The deadline to apply is June 9, 2022.

JURORS

Tasha Kubesh has over twenty years of experience working with contemporary visual artists and art in the Midwest region, specializing in the presentation of Modern American and Contemporary Art. Previous Curator of Exhibitions and Collections at Plains Art Museum in Fargo, North Dakota, and Gallery Director at Flanders Art, Minneapolis, MN, Kubesh has organized numerous exhibitions, including both emerging and well-established artists. Kubesh graduated from Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Minneapolis, MN, in 2001, and studied at Parsons Paris School of Art and Design, Paris, France, and Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO. 

Bobbi Walker founded Walker Fine Art in 1999, and opened the gallery space in June of 2002. She has been actively involved in the arts community in Denver for over 20 years. Bobbi served two 3 year terms on the Denver Commission
on Cultural Affairs. She is an Associates member of the Denver Art Museum (DAM), and serves as an Ambassador of the Museum Friends. She was President of the Denver Art Dealers Association (DADA) for 3 years. She has served on the boards of the Golden Triangle Museum District (GTMD) and the Golden Triangle Neighborhood Association (GTA). She is a member of the Colorado Business Community for the Arts (CBCA), Arts for Colorado, Visit Denver, Redline, and the Downtown Denver Partnership. She has been a speaker at the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs (DOCA) Arts
Business Expo for 5 consecutive years. She was a speaker for the Denver Metro Small Business Development Center (SBDC ) NxLevel premier training program for small business planning. She has had speaking engagements with arts and humanities classes at Colorado University (Boulder and Denver), Metropolitan State Denver (MSCD) , Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design (RMCAD) , and Arapaho Community College. She was one of 4 participants in The
Business of Art panel at Redline. She has participated in steering committee discussions for Colorado Community for the Arts, Denver Arts Week, Denver Theatre District, and Curious Theatre.

Application Requirements

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

• Applications must be submitted through CaFE (callforentry.org). Mailed or emailed submissions will not be accepted.
• Artists working in any visual media are invited to apply, including: experimental (conceptual/new media), graphic (printmaking/book arts), painting, sculpture, installation, photography (includes experimental, color, black & white, photocopy and computer), clay, fiber, glass, leather, metal, paper, plastic, wood, mixed media, film or video.
• Artists may submit up to ten work samples, of which up to two may be detail images, if appropriate.
• Film/video applicants may submit up to 4 samples, and have the option to submit stills. Jurors will only be required to watch up to 10 minutes of a film/video submission.
• Work must have been created within the past 5 years.
• Applicants are asked to submit an artist’s statement and to verify that they meet the eligibility requirements.
• Please ensure your name does not appear anywhere on the application or work samples, except where specifically requested, to preserve the anonymous nature of the judging.

WHAT IF YOU WIN AN AWARD?

• You’ll receive $3,000 up front
• Fellowship recipients agree to participate in the Wyoming Arts Council Biennial Exhibition, and are included in the catalog produced.
• You’ll sign a contract that verifies you’re eligible to receive this award.
• You’ll need to supply a bio and a head shot for publicity.
• You will retain all rights to this work and the work you produce during the grant period.
• You must create an impact statement, due August 31, 2023, sharing with the Wyoming Arts Council how this award helped you and what you accomplished during the year you received it.

Eligibility Criteria

ELIGIBILITY

• Must be at least 18 years of age at time of application.
• Must not be a full-time student pursuing high school, college, or university art-related degrees.
• Must be a U.S. citizen or have legal resident status (evidence of U.S. citizenship, resident status and state residency may be required).
• May not be affiliated with the Wyoming Arts Council either as a board member or staff member, including their families, whether full-time, part-time or contractual.
• May not be an employee of the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources.
• Must have been domiciled within the state borders for a total of 20 months in the previous two years.
• Must remain a Wyoming resident for at least one year after award, living in the state for at least 10 months of the year.
• Applicants must register or update their information in the Wyoming Arts Council’s Artists and Venues Directory.
• Must not have received a Visual Arts fellowship within the last four years.
• May receive a total of two fellowship awards in your lifetime.
• You may enter the competition only once by the deadline. Jurors may choose not to award the number of fellowships or honorable mentions available.