Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship

In the late 1990s, Lilly Endowment Inc. and the Arts Council of Indianapolis launched the Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship to rejuvenate and retain the city’s creative talent.

Nearly twenty-five years later, the program has infused $4+ million into the Indianapolis arts community through fellowships engaging more than 400 professionals working in music, dance, theatre, literature, and visual arts.

The fellowship focuses on personal, creative, or professional renewal with the belief that the entire community will benefit through investments in individuals in the creative community. Similar to the concept of an academic sabbatical, it refreshes and inspires arts administrators and artists to continue their creative work in the Indy arts ecosystem.

Photo courtesy of Jared Thompson

Check out past fellows’ experiences. Learn more from fellows at Artist Industry Night or at the Retrospective Exhibition at Gallery 924.

Fellowship activities could include (but are not limited to):

• Exploration of new ideas, cultures, art forms
• Pursuit of new or familiar avenues of artistic expression
• Research and/or instruction
• Wellness or artistic retreats

Fellowship activities may be conducted anywhere in the world. Funds may be used for any expenses related to the fellowship activities, like travel, housing, or equipment.

Review the full guidelines for more details.

Photo courtesy of The UnCut Diamond

Applicants must:

• Have lived and/or worked in Marion, Morgan, Boone, Hamilton, Hendricks, Hancock, Johnson, or Shelby County for the past two years and continue to do so during the fellowship.
• Be a professional artist or an arts administrator who has been working in the arts for at least five years.
• Have generated the majority of income over the past two years in the arts.

Review the full guidelines for more eligibility details.

Photo courtesy of Micah LeMasters