Media Arts Fellowships

It is a challenge to be able to work without prejudices or formulas. My goal is to continue to develop a personal language to continue to freely experiment with film and video. — Miguel Calderón (2000 Fellow)

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The Media Arts Fellowships supported the creation of new works that brought innovation to the media arts. Whether through new technologies or classical traditions, artists were encouraged to redefine, invent and explore visions and stories that reflect our diverse culture. Artists were able to receive support at any stage of career development, from emerging makers to those well-established in their careers.

The Media Arts Fellowships consisted of three distinct components, each awarded annually:

• The Film and Video Fellowships supported media artists in the U.S. working in the broad categories of Documentary, Narrative, Experimental or Video Installation. Each of the 14 Film and Video Fellows was awarded $35,000.
• The New Media Fellowships supported media artists in the U.S. whose work centered around dynamic media including, but not limited to, such computer-mediated forms as web art, robotics, virtual reality, biotechnology, interactive installations and software art. Each of the 6 New Media Fellows was awarded $35,000.
• The Media Arts Fellowships in Mexico support Mexican media artists working in Documentary, Narrative, Experimental, Video Installation or New Media. Each of the 6 Media Arts Fellows in Mexico is awarded $20,000.

Fellowships were awarded in the United States from 1988 - 2008 and in Latin America from 1992 - 2008. See Fellows page for a complete listing of Fellowship recipients.

How the Fellowships Program Operated

The Fellowships program worked by nomination only; relying upon a rotating network of experts to identify applicants and to recommend the finalists. This network included media artists, scholars, exhibitors, curators, producers, distributors and programmers representing all regions of the U.S. and Mexico who were selected to participate on the basis of their knowledge and experience in the media field.

Nominating Committee Members.
Each year, individuals were asked to participate as nominating committee members for either the Film/Video, New Media or Mexican Media Arts Fellowships. Each nominator recommended three media artists whose work challenged conventional genres and formats of presentation.

Panelists.
Interdisciplinary panels for each of the Fellowships components gave full consideration over a several-day review meeting to the solicited applications of each nominee. The panel process allowed considerable scope for the panelists to exercise their own best judgment, taking into consideration both the applicant's past work and current proposal, as well as the proposed project's relevance to the Fellowships' aims. The panelists made recommendations of Fellows, which were then approved by the administrating organization’s board.