Highpoint Center for Printmaking is honored and proud to announce that in the fall of 2018 Highpoint will become the newest McKnight Artist Fellowships program partner. This partnership will allow Highpoint to offer two new fellowships for midcareer printmakers living in Minnesota. The McKnight Artist Fellowships program currently supports midcareer creatives working in 10 artistic disciplines. In the next two years, it will add fellowships for printmakers, textile artists, book artists, social/community-based practice artists, and traditional artists.
The McKnight Artist Fellowships for Printmakers will support outstanding Minnesota printmakers who have already proven their abilities and are at a career stage that is beyond emerging. Two unrestricted $25,000 grants will be awarded in 2019, with the selected fellows supported for twelve months. Benefits provided to McKnight Printmaker Fellows will include:
• Full access to Highpoint’s workshop facilities during their fellowship
• Technical & materials support, including classes
• Professional feedback via studio visits by Minnesota arts professionals and national experts in the field
The McKnight Fellowship recipients will be featured in public presentations, lectures and an exhibition with a corresponding catalogue at the conclusion of the grant year. The call for applications for these fellowships will go live at Highpoint Center for Printmaking in fall 2018, and the new McKnight Printmaking Fellows will be announced in early 2019.
Fellowships for working artists are vital mechanisms for increasing the economic stability and productive capacity of artists. For McKnight Artist Fellows, the $25,000 award increases economic stability and predictability by enabling a respite from an often piecemeal and unpredictable livelihood. In addition, McKnight Artist Fellowships often elevate the profile of artists within the state and beyond, and serve as an informal vetting or stepping stone to additional, even national awards. Along with access to artist support services through the program’s partners, the McKnight Artist Fellowships provide discipline-specific opportunities for artistic and professional development.
About McKnight Artist Fellowships: Founded on the belief that Minnesota thrives when its artists thrive, The McKnight Foundation’s arts program is one of the oldest and largest of its kind in the country. Support for individual working Minnesota artists has been a cornerstone of the program since it began in 1981. The McKnight Artist Fellowships Program provides annual, unrestricted cash awards to outstanding mid-career Minnesota artists in 10 different creative disciplines. Program partner organizations administer the fellowships and structure them to respond to the unique challenges of different disciplines. Currently, the foundation contributes about $1.7 million per year to its statewide fellowships. For more information, visit mcknight.org/artistfellowships.
