Right of Return has announced the fourth year of the Right of Return USA Fellowship, generously funded by the Mellon Foundation, the Art for Justice Fund, and Open Philanthropy.
Donor Name: Right of Return
Country: United States
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Fellowship
Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): 01/14/2022
Size of the Grant: $20,000
Grant Duration: 12 Months
Details:
Right of Return USA invites formerly incarcerated artists to propose art projects aimed at transforming the criminal legal and immigration systems and reducing their scale and reach. The fellowship is open to artists working in all creative disciplines, including but not limited to visual, performance, poetry, media, and design.
The fellowship program will continue to invest in formerly incarcerated artists, supporting the creation of original works produced in partnership with advocates and organizers to further criminal justice reform efforts. In this fourth year, they will be awarding a diverse group of 6 artists a grant of $20,000 each to support a project aimed at reforming the criminal justice system. The 2022 fellows will join a rich community of culture-shaping artists.
Artists have always played a critical role in social movements as culture-makers and catalysts for change. The work to end mass incarceration and criminalization is no exception. While many artists have explored the issue of mass incarceration, formerly incarcerated artists have a particularly important role to play. Drawing on lived experience, Right of Return USA artists work at the forefront of social movements and have the unique power to translate complex and nuanced ideas into powerful experiences, helping audiences move toward action.
The goal of the Right of Return fellowship is to support the creation of new bodies of work that uplift the voices of people directly impacted by the criminal justice system, reflect the humanity of criminalized and incarcerated people, and build public will for ambitious and visionary change. Embedding artists within the reform movement results in more nimble, resonant, and creative campaigns to end mass incarceration and advance racial equity.
Artist Retreat
If selected, Right of Return fellows will be asked to commit to participating in a group retreat in spring 2022 and be invited to a multi-cohort retreat in late 2022. The Right of Return retreats are meant to foster community, develop political advocacy skills, and support practice sustainability. If COVID-19 makes in-person convening impossible, abbreviated versions of the retreat will be held online.
Funded projects must be completed within 12 months of the award date.
Applicant Eligibility
The Right of Return USA Fellowship seeks to support formerly incarcerated artists with a demonstrated capacity to advance social change and a clear vision for utilizing their creative practice to end mass incarceration.
More specifically:
- They define the word “artist” in broad terms to include designers, musicians, visual artists, performers, photographers, spoken-word artists, poets, and storytellers.
- Artists must collaborate with an advocacy organization during the development and/or execution of their proposed project (collaborating organizations do not need to be secured at the time of application).
- Artists may be at any stage of their career.
- Projects and applicants must be U.S. based.
- Right of Return USA seeks a diverse cohort of fellows with regard to race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, and experience.
Criteria for Selection
Finalists will be considered based on the following criteria:
- Merit of artist’s past work and strength of proposed project
- Likelihood that the proposed project will meaningfully contribute to criminal justice reform efforts and reach its intended audience
- Clarity of vision for a truly collaborative effort with partner organization or advocate(s) (artists will not be penalized for not having secured a collaborator at the time of application)
- Likelihood that the proposed work will be completed within the timeframe and budget allotted
- Diversity of perspective and experience.
For more information, visit Right of Return USA Fellowship.
