By Gina Yarbrough
Carlsbad, CA–New Village Arts has announced its call for Fellows for the Dea Hurston Professional Fellowship. The Fellowship is in honor of the memory of Hurston who passed away on July 7, 2024.
New Village Arts will select two emerging theatre professionals, as well as a professional visual artist who demonstrate outstanding talent and a commitment to community- building within the arts. People of all ethnicities are encouraged to apply.
The Fellowship program at New Village Arts was created to address the lack of paid opportunities for women, minority communities, and other underrepresented theatre artists and students in San Diego County. The program is centered on the belief that a more diverse theatre environment leads to better and more inspiring stories that have a broader positive impact on the community.
“I am beyond honored to be named the first Dea Hurston Visual Artist Fellow. As an artist dedicated to storytelling, representation, and community impact, carrying forward Hurston’s legacy is both humbling and inspiring,” said Bryttney Salvant, New Village Arts Fellowship manager, and Hurston Visual Artist Fellow.
The professional Fellows are offered a key role as theatre professionals working on an NVA production within our 24th Season, a Professional Theatre Fellows will receive a stipend of $10,000 and a Visual Artist Fellow receive $2,500 as well as a dedicated mentor, and the opportunity to work with high school and college affiliated New Village Arts partners to further support young theatre professionals in San Diego. After the Fellowship, Fellows will be allowed to publicly present their work and possible additional engagements with the theatre community. Full Fellowship expectations are outlined in the contract. The stipend includes all expectations of each Professional Fellow over the Fellowship.
New Village Arts is now accepting applications for its Fellowship program. Aspiring Fellows are encouraged to apply online through the New Village Arts website before the submission deadline on April 2.
To ensure proper consideration, applicants must provide the following:
● Contact Information
● Letter of Intent: A concise statement not exceeding one page outlining the artist’s goals for the fellowship and their approach to utilizing the community-building opportunities provided.
● Current Resume/CV: A comprehensive overview of the artist’s professional background, not exceeding three pages. PDF Portfolio: Five to ten images and/or video clips of past work, with each entry accompanied by a title, date, and brief statement (up to 200 words) describing the work. The video should be no longer than 5 minutes.
Eligibility is limited to artists who meet the following guidelines:
● Must be at least 18 years old at the time of entry.
● Must reside in San Diego or North County.
● The residency seeks to support underrepresented San Diego-based artists and administrators and encourages Black and/or BIPOC artists and administrators to apply.
● Candidates may not be enrolled in a degree-seeking program, either part-time or full time, at an institution of higher learning at the time of application deadline or during the period of the residency.
● Artists affiliated with New Village Arts in an administrative capacity are not eligible to apply. This includes all full time administrative staff and Board members working with the organization in any sort of their official capacity.
● Artists with previous experiences benefiting from increased professional opportunities are encouraged to apply.
The Dea Hurston Fellowship is sponsored by the San Diego Foundation, US Bank, and the California Arts Council. Sponsorship opportunities are available.
For more information about the Dea Hurston Professional Fellowship and to apply, visit New Village Arts.
