A.I.R. FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
Established in 1993 to address a lack of support for young women artists, the A.I.R. Fellowship Program for Emerging and Underrepresented Women and Non-Binary Artists has enabled more than 120 artists to realize their first solo exhibition in New York City with the support of the A.I.R. community. The Fellowship Program annually awards six emerging artists based in New York City with their first solo exhibition, professional development programming, curatorial support, and mentorship during a 12-month fellowship that runs September–August.
Intended to support artists in building sustainable and enriching artistic practices, the program provides participants with career-changing, lifelong resources and community in a space that encourages creative risk-taking and intergenerational dialogue. Central to the program are a series of professional development workshops on subjects such as grant writing and exhibition design, close collaboration with an A.I.R. artist mentor, and scheduled studio visits throughout the year, including one with a selection panelist.
Previous selection panelists have included: Rina Baneerjee, Joeonna Bellorado-Samuels, Phong Bui, Dan Cameron, Anaïs Duplan, Amber Esseiva, Nicole Fleetwood, Lia Gangitano, Stamatina Gregory, Marcela Guerrero, Gordon Hall, Leslie Hewitt, Matthew Higgs, Rujeko Hockley, Ruba Katrib, Baseera Khan, Christine Kim, Michelle Kuo, Florence Lynch, Piper Marshall, Catherine Morris, Lisa Oppenheim, Faith Ringgold, Lumi Tan, Andrea Scott, Xaviera Simmons, Sam Vernon, and Xiaoyu Weng.
Since 2009, A.I.R. has named one yearly A.I.R. Fellowship seat in memory of the artist, activist, writer, and feminist Emma Bee Bernstein (1985–2008). In recognition of Emma’s significant contributions as a young artist, the youngest A.I.R. Fellowship recipient receives the honor of holding the Emma Bee Bernstein Fellowship seat.
Since 2024, A.I.R. has annually named one Louise H. McCagg Fellow in honor of artist, philanthropist, feminist, and mother Louise H. McCagg (1936–2020).
View past Fellowship Artists here.
2024–2025 A.I.R. Fellowship Artists
Recent Fellowship Exhibitions
The A.I.R. Fellowship Program is made possible by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as the generous support of The Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, The Bernheim Foundation, The O’Grady Foundation, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Materials for the Arts, and individual donors to the Emma Bee Bernstein Fellowship and Louise H. McCagg Fellowship Funds.