Maine Artist Fellowship- Fine Craft Grant

The Maine Artist Fellowship for Fine Craft recognizes the artistic excellence of Maine artists through merit-based awards. Selected fellows receive unrestricted funding to advance their careers, promotional opportunities, and networking experiences. This fellowship aims to support artists engaged in contemporary or traditional craft practices. Eligible individuals must be Maine residents, at least 25 years old, and not enrolled in school. This award fosters a community of creativity and collaboration among seven distinguished fellows.

The Maine Artist Fellowship recognizes artistic excellence in the overall career of a Maine artist. Fellowships are not grants for artist projects; they are merit-based awards that evaluated by a review panel on the level of artistic creativity and vision shown in the artists’ support materials. One artist will be selected for each discipline, creating a cohort of seven Maine Artist Fellows.
What an Artist can expect as a Maine Artist Fellow
Unrestricted award to help advance artists career as they see fitArtist Bios hosted on Maine Arts Commission website and included in all digital publicationsYear-long promotion/communications of fellow's activities.Fellowship Reception with Maine Arts Staff and Commissioners at the Blaine House in early 2026.Networking and other collaborative opportunities throughout the year.
Available for craft artists engaged in contemporary studio practice and/ or traditional materials such as clay, fiber, glass, leather, metal, paper, stone, wood, or other mediums. Craft artists residing in Washington or Hancock counties should apply for the Belvedere Handcraft Fellowship.

Eligibility

Is an individual Maine artist or part of an artist collective(collectives may only apply once per award cycle, with one member as the primary contact and who submits the application).If applicable, has completed Final Reports required by the Maine Arts Commission for previous awards.Is a current Maine resident who has resided full-time in Maine for at least 2 years prior to the application deadline.Will be a Maine resident throughout the Fellowship period.Is at least 25 years of age or older by the application deadline.Is not an enrolled student at the start of the award cycle (July 1) Has not been previously awarded a Maine Artist Fellowship.Artistic Sample Guidelines:This could include images, audio, or video materials (Max. length: five minutes each), prose samples, poetry, etc.Fine Craft: 8 max