Creative renewal fellowship
Now Closed – will reopen in spring 2027
The Creative Renewal Fellowship is intended to reinvigorate experienced artists by offering the time, resources, and freedom to explore new directions, deepen their practice, and sustain their long-term creative vitality in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
This Fellowship is designed to provide a sabbatical-like experience for Mecklenburg-based creatives with over 10 years of experience looking to expand or re-invigorate their creative practice. This opportunity is aimed at helping established creatives combat creative burnout and integrate new mediums/ideas into their practice.
Up to 25% of total budget can be used to purchase new supplies/materials for work created throughout the course of the Fellowship, but the main focus should be to gain new skillsets/experience or experience with new mediums/ideas.
This Fellowship is meant to provide freedom to experiment and combat creative burnout by engaging in new trainings, learnings, and experiences.
Grant Highlights
- Application opens: Tuesday, January 20, 2026
- Deadline: Sunday, February 22, 2026
- Projects must take place: Between May 1, 2026 and June 30, 2027
- Grant amount: $15,000
- A maximum of 25% of the total budget, or $3,750, can be used for supplies or materials needed to complete new work.
- At least 75% must be used for workshop/residencies/apprenticeship fees and costs for travel/living accommodations.
- Fellowship focus: Applicants must submit proposals with a focus on gaining new skillsets/knowledge, experimenting with new disciplines/mediums, or exploring new avenues of creative expression.
- Timeline (approximate – please know these dates may shift):
- Application deadline: February 22, 2026
- Review panel scoring deadline: March 15, 2026
- Email notifications to all applicants: March 20, 2026
- Grant funds distributed: End of April 2026
- One Application Per Cycle Policy: This grant follows a one-application-per-cycle policy. The new policy is designed to support a more equitable review process and ensure fair distribution of funding across our community. We encourage applicants to submit their strongest proposal each cycle. Previous recipients of a Creative Renewal Fellowship are ineligible to apply again to ensure these grant awards broaden their reach within our artist community.
How do I apply?
This opportunity has now closed. Please revisit next Spring 2027.
Click here to read more about our FY26 Fellowship recipients!
City of charlotte & Mecklenburg County Strategic Support
ASC’s Creative Renewal Fellowships are made possible through the generous support of Mecklenburg County and the City of Charlotte, reflecting our community’s shared investment in its creative leaders. This public funding underscores the belief that artists are vital to the cultural and civic life of our region. By supporting their continued growth and creative tenure, Mecklenburg County and the City of Charlotte help sustain a thriving, innovative arts ecosystem for all.
Click here to read about our FY26 Fellowship recipients!
| Alex Sulikowski | Visual Art | Returning to the Source: Cultural Renewal and Sculptural Exploration in Hand-Fabricated Studio Jewelry |
| A.J. Riggins | Film/Media Arts | Late-stage development of my debut feature and expansion of my long-form narrative practice in North Carolina. |
| Ashley Tate | Dance | Professional Development Through the Versa-Style Dance Intensive and New Creative Research |
| Bryan Wilson | Visual Art | Reinvigorating a Mid-Career Practice Through Reflection and Research |
| Patrice Gopo | Literary | Participating in generative writing retreats in new places that will provide rest, inspire new creative pathways, and plant the seeds of new work. |
| Marek Ranis | Visual Art | Landscape of Identity, an art project exploring how landscapes shape personal/collective identity, during two art residencies in Finland in 2026 |
| Margaret Maurice | Music | Creative Renewal Through Apprenticeship and Listening-Based Performance Inquiry |
| Kim Jones | Dance | Echoes of the Drum: Reconnecting Korean Folk Lineage in Contemporary Dance Practices |
| Randy Morales | Visual Art | A Summer at Gobelins & Development of my Animated Short Film Miel (Honey) |
| Sean Mason | Music | To study Afro-Cuban music and culture in Havana, building fluency in the Latin jazz lineage |
| Alejandro Ziegler | Music | A Yearlong Journey into Improvisation, Folkloric Traditions, and New Instrumental Horizons |
| Raymond Grubb | Photography | Designing a photography book during a Fall 2025 residency in France. |
| Osiris Rain | Visual Art | Learning 3D design to expand an artistic practice into installation art, enabling access to more dynamic public art commissions. |
| J Stacy Utley | Visual Art | Examining the intersection of public art, gentrification and personal transformation, through a comprehensive retrospective and forward-looking practice. |
| Tamara Williams | Music | Studying traditional Yoruba drumming during a sabbatical. |
| De’Angelo Dia | Literary | To learn a new creative expression and creative renewal, as a means of humanizing hope, through workshops with Penland School of Craft, the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies, and Charlotte Lit. |
| Sarah Hayes Harkins | Dance | “From Ballerina to Tanguera” – Retiring principal dancer in Charlotte Ballet plans to explore Argentine tango by training with world-class tango dancers and traveling to global tango destinations. |
| Sir Hodge | Film/Media Arts | To participate in an apprenticeship program at the esteemed Isoko Studios under the guidance of creative director, Oghalé Alex, based in London, England. |
| Abel Jackson | Visual Arts | To travel to Kenya with Zawadi International Artist exchange program for a diverse and immersive experience, which combines cultural exchange, community involvement, wildlife exploration, and relaxation |
| Herman Nicholson | Visual Arts | I will acquire essential materials, attend workshops, and access mentorship opportunities, enabling me to immerse myself in learning the wet plate collodion process, a historic photographic technique, and refine my skills through hands-on experience. |