2024 Application Resources
Application Release
August 7, 2023
Draft Submission Deadline
September 17, 2023
Application Deadline
October 9, 2023
Award Notification
by December 15, 2023
Fellowship Duration
January to December 2024
Click here to review the 2024 Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellowship Guidelines
Applicants may submit a preliminary draft of their application for feedback from the Indy Arts Council grant services team. Please submit a draft by September 17, 2023 at 11:59 p.m.
Applicants will be notified of award status by December 15, 2023.
Virtual:
We can answer questions during open office hours every other Tuesday from 11 a.m. to noon. Register here.
In-person at Indy Arts Council:
Join us for in-person office hours from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Oct. 5, 2023. Applicants can use our WiFi, get assistance with uploading documents, and request any last minute support. No registration required.
Open to: central Indiana artists who have been working in the arts for 1-3 years.
The program awards two fellowships each year to qualified emerging artists who want to pursue full-time careers in dance, theater, music, literature, film or visual arts. Fellows receive:
- $3,500 for supplies, workshops, studio/rehearsal space, or other uses that develop the artist's knowledge and skills.
- Professional development and networking opportunities through Indy Arts Council.
Applications open: Aug. 7, 2023, for the 2024 Beckmann Emerging Artist Fellowships. View the guidelines here and apply here.
Questions? Contacts Grant Services at (317) 631-3301 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
These fellowships honor the legacy of Robert D. Beckmann, Jr., a visual and performing artist and a founding board member of the Indy Arts Council.
Meet the 2023 Beckmann Emerging Artist Fellows
Jade Davidson
Jade Davidson is a self-taught singer/songwriter, guitarist, and music producer who describes her style as “bluesy grit” mixed with indie and jazz. For her, music has always been a way to transcend difficult emotions; she was 12 when she wrote her first song, about her brother’s struggle with depression.
As a 2023 Beckmann Emerging Artist, she plans to record and produce new music. “People’s souls need art,” she says. “I want to be a bridge for that connection, so people know that they are not alone."
Matthew Cooper
Matthew Cooper is an self-taught artist specializing in mixed media paintings. From exhibiting in galleries during his early career, to being commissioned to paint murals around Indianapolis and becoming an Art & Soul 2021 Featured Artist, Matthew is leaving his mark on his hometown.
He received his ALA from Vincennes University in 2012 and attended IUPUI Herron Art & Design, where he studied drawing and minored in Africana studies.
2022 Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellows:
Chantel Massey - poet
Natalie Clevenger - choreographer
Taylor Bamgbose - visual artist & writer
2021 Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellows:
Addie Kosten - musician
Mickey Young - musician
2020 Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellows:
Manon Voice - spoken word
Joshua Thompson - musician
2019 Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellows:
Gary Gee - ceramicist and painter
Jaclyn Head - ceramicist
2018 Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellows:
Alicia Zanoni - painter
TOO Black - spoken word artist
2017 Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellows:
Derrick Carter - painter
Eric Salazar - musician
2016 Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellows:
Jessical Ucul - photographer
Stuart Coleman - dancer
2015 Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellows:
Betsy Boxberger - dancer
Kassim Norris - filmmaker
2014 Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellows:
Ash Robinson - conceptual artist
Melissa Kistler - sculptor
2013 Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellows:
Adam Bodony - conductor
Amelia Morris - photographer
2012 Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellows:
Joseph Crone - visual artist
Michael Burke - theatre director
2011 Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellows:
Kathryn Dart - painter
Patrick McCarney - lighting designer
2010 Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellows:
Diane L. Lewis - poet
Emily Budd - sculptor
2009 Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellows:
Christina Block - musician
Cindy Hinant - installation artist
2008 Inaugural Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellows:
Kate Oberreich - painter
Kyle Herrington - painter
