Call for Artists: Apply to the 2025 AFH Artists Fellowship for Emerging Professionals!

Application Deadline Extended: 1/10/25

Are you a professional artist dedicated to creating 3D work with a sustainable process, practices, message, and/or impact? Are you ambitious about your career and eager to take your professional relationships and craft to the next level?

Artists for Humanity (AFH) is excited to open the application for the 2025 Artists Fellowship for Emerging Professionals. This 9-month fellowship offers a transformative opportunity for five emerging Boston artists to work directly with a prominent and professional mentor to refine their artistic research process and vision as sustainable creators as they develop a meaningful body of work and produce a final exhibition.

Fellows will receive valuable experience with collaborative project development, working with clients, visibility, and other benefits including a stipend, professional development resources, and access to the dynamic AFH network.

Discipline and Research Focus: 3D Sustainable Practices 

Sustainably made art is more than just an aesthetic choice; it’s a thoughtful practice rooted in discovery, research, and responsible innovation. 3D artists often incorporate organic or reclaimed materials into their work, not only as a means of reducing waste but also as a way to add deeper conceptual meaning to their creations. By rethinking traditional processes, materials, and techniques, artists can produce works that are aligned with both environmental and social values.

The use of organic or reclaimed materials invites artists to explore new possibilities in form, texture, and narrative. These materials carry histories, evoke emotions, and highlight issues of consumption and waste. Sustainable creation becomes a dual exercise in artistic expression and ethical responsibility. It challenges artists to minimize harm while maximizing positive impact, fostering a creative process that reflects the principles of sustainability. The result is art that not only communicates a message but also embodies it in its very construction. These methods provide a problem-solving framework where each decision, from material selection to the final artwork, involves weighing environmental impact, social justice, and creative expression.

The 2025 Fellowship Mentor

veronique (nico) d’entremont is a trans-disciplinary artist and visual storyteller whose 3D research-based practice blends sculpture, performance, and social engagement. Their work explores themes of memory, spirituality, and healing, often using unconventional materials and processes to create transformative environments. With a focus on world-building and decentering dominant narratives, d’entremont empowers others to connect with themselves, their communities, and the natural world.

Based in Boston and Los Angeles, d’entremont has exhibited in galleries and museums in the US and Mexico. Supported by prestigious residencies and awards, d’entremont also co-founded the Liberated Arts Collective with formerly-incarcerated individuals who believed in the necessity and power of art to heal from the impacts of institutionalization. As a mentor, they bring a wealth of technical expertise, creative vision, and a commitment to fostering dialogue and liberation through artistic exploration.

Who Should Apply

We welcome applications from artists who are:

• Committed to developing 3D sustainable art practices and processes

• Eager to expand their artistic research methods, explore new mediums and techniques, build artistic networks, and establish a financial support model

• Seeking mentorship, professional growth, and enhanced visibility in the Boston arts community

What You'll Gain

• A $14,400 stipend to support your artistic journey (paid biweekly) 

Please note that Artists For Humanity will not be providing additional funding for project materials. Fellows are encouraged to manage their stipends thoughtfully to accommodate any material costs. However, AFH will assist in any material budget proposals and the sourcing of donated materials. 

• Mentorship from a leading professional in the field of sustainable art: veronique (nico) d’entremont

• Professional development workshops tailored to drive priority skill sets and your own growth goals

• Access to the studio space, tools, and storage of AFH and The Foundry, a makerspace where Fellows will be given a membership for the duration of the Fellowship

• Opportunities to showcase your work to an expanded audience through a designated external, commissioned collaborative project, the Fellowship culmination exhibit, and a guided application process for future funding

Expectations

Fellows must commit to: 

• 16 hours per week (two 8-hour days) developing their artistic practice through independent research, making, networking, and other relevant activities. Monday cohort meetings are required. A second flexible day may take place at AFH, The Foundry makerspace, and/or personal studio spaces.

• Conducting one workshop for AFH teens in whatever technique they wish to share.

• Preparing work and producing an exhibition in October 2025 showcasing their work.

Key Program Details

• Duration: 9 months, beginning March 2025 

• Commitment: Fellows are required to dedicate two 8-hour days a week (16 hours total) to the program. Mondays are in person and required attendance for professional development workshops; the second day can be flexible. 

• For more information, please view this 2025 Information Sheet.

Application Requirements

• Applicant must be 21 years of age or older

• Thoughtfully completed application form (link below)

• Artist’s CV or resume

• Portfolio (does not need to be fully developed)

Portfolio Template for this who may not have one already

Example Portfolio provided by the 2025 Mentor, veronique (nico) d’entremont

Important Dates

• Application Opens: 12/2/24

• Application Deadline: 1/10/25

• Interview Process

- First Round 1:1 Interview (30 minutes, virtual): 1/13/25 - 1/17/25

- Second Round Group Interview (2 hours, in-person): 1/27/25 - 1/28/25

- Third Round Selection Committee Interview (30-45 minutes, virtual): 2/10/24 - 2/14/24

• Acceptance Notification: 2/18/25

• Program Start Date: March 2025

• Culmination Exhibit: October 2025

• Program End Date: November 2025

If you'd like to develop your answers to the questions before diving into the application form, please take a look at this document so you can gather your thoughts ahead of time.

Join us in fostering a more sustainable future through art. We can’t wait to see your work!

Have questions or need more information?

Contact Nicole Dubov, AFH Fellowship and Alumni Program Manager at ndubov@afhboston.org