The first of its kind in the region, the Emerging Curators Institute Fellowship provides opportunities for Minnesota-based emerging curators and creatives who may not otherwise have access to the funding, resources, or education offered through the program.
For this newest cycle, 3 fellowships will be awarded. Fellows will receive an initial $4000 stipend to participate in a 10-month learning period, as well as curatorial mentorship.
The Emerging Curators Institute Fellowship is a program of Yearly Emerging Practices.
Apply by 11:59PM, Friday, October 30th, 2026.
To apply, please click here for the application. All of the information noted below on this page is included in the application form.
The Emerging Curators Institute Fellowship
The Emerging Curators Institute Fellowship (ECI), a program of Yearly Emerging Practices (YEP), supports emerging practitioners from diverse backgrounds by offering in-depth learning, mentorship and creative development. The first of its kind in the region, ECI aims to foster critical dialogue around curatorial practice and provide opportunities for those who are based in Minnesota. Since being initiated, 20 fellowships have been awarded.
The following is further information about the fellowship:
– Summary & Timeline
– Eligibility
– What Awardees will receive
– Expectations of Fellows
Alternative formats of this information (such as an audio or pdf version) can be available by emailing access@emergingcurators.org.
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Further Information on the Fellowship
For this fellowship cycle, 3 will be awarded.
Over the course of the 10-month learning period (December 2026 – September 2027), ECI Fellows will participate in monthly meetings with their cohort, reflect on their and others’ curatorial practice through research, discussion and witnessing contemporary art, explore museums, galleries and sites hosting art across the Twin Cities and be paired with a mentor who will support them throughout their fellowship cycle.
Fellowship Timeline
Friday, October 2nd: Fellowship applications open
Tuesday, October 20th: Virtual Information Session will be offered. Registration information and more details to be shared soon.
Friday, October 30th: Fellowship applications due by 11:59pm, Central Time.
November – Mid December: A panel of 3 members from the local and national arts field will independently review and score the applications. A select number of applicants will be discussed at a panelist convening and recommendations for finalists will be made. Interviews will then be conducted with up to seven applicants and final fellowship candidates will be identified.
Mid December: All applicants are notified of status.
Late December 2026: Learning Cycle begins with Introductory cohort meeting for selected Fellows.
December 2026 – September 2027: Up to two cohort gatherings per month.
September 2027: Wrap up of Learning Cycle. Confirmation of Fellows to join the next phase of the fellowship.
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Eligibility
This fellowship program is open to applicants who will be living in Minnesota for the majority of 2027 and 2028. Meetings will primarily take place in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area and/or online, with exhibitions, site visits and public programming potentially occurring across the state.
Respectful of the ongoing impact of Covid-19, we will be meeting digitally and/or in-person as is appropriate and safe. Fellows must be vaccinated to be in the program. We strongly encourage Fellows to be boosted as well. In-person meetings will be conducted based on covid-related safety precautions.
We want to support a wide range of applicants. The funding offered is meant to supplement not be the sole resource of income for an awarded Fellow. Fellowship stipends may be used to cover expenses as the Fellow deems necessary. Depending on certain circumstances, additional funds may be available to support travel and access needs; however no additional funds are available for relocation, or housing at this time.
While providing support and resources, ECI is also a rigorous program that nourishes Fellows’ curatorial growth through individual, collective learning and reflection. Our fellowship cultivates learning through open-ended exploration, thought-provoking discussion and timely-driven projects in order to shape skills and experiences needed for both personal and professional development. The estimated time commitment for Fellows is approximately 10-15 hours per month. With this commitment in mind, we do not accept applications from those who are currently enrolled full-time in a degree-seeking program.
Who is eligible to apply?
The Emerging Curators Institute Fellowship is for:
– Minnesota-based residents with limited experience in curation who would benefit from the guidance the program offers; with an emphasis on those who identify as women, non-binary, gender nonconforming, LGBTQIA2S+, Black, Native, Indigenous, a Person of Color, racialized, disabled and/or neurodiverse.
– Those who may not otherwise have access to the funding, resources, and education offered through the program.
– Those seeking a learning experience outside of academic institutions or have graduated from a degree program (those who are currently enrolled in a degree seeking program are not eligible).
– Those who may self-identify as curators including but not limited to: artists with curatorial interests; graduates of studio art, art history programs, and/or cultural studies programs; self-taught practitioners; and arts and community organizers.
– Those with visions of curating that may or may not become exhibitions. We embrace visions that may manifest outside the box of the exhibition space, that may focus particularly/solely on public programming, education, community engagement or outdoor performance.
– Those who value risk taking, experimentation and are excited to explore their practice across artistic disciplines.
For questions surrounding eligibility and the application materials or participation, please contact us at info@emergingcurators.org.
Access support is available for those within the disability, neurodivergent and chronically ill communities wishing to apply. Please email access@emergingcurators.org, call or text 651.237.5936.
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Awarded Fellows will receive:
– A stipend of $4,000 for participation in the learning period, with potential further stipends, resources and funding to move through an experiential practicum, research period and small-scale presentation of an exhibition or curatorial project beyond the learning period.
– A 10 month long curatorial learning cohort intensive (up to two monthly gatherings)
– An opportunity to develop a public pop-up cohort presentation at close of the learning cycle.
– Individualized Curatorial mentorship
– Thoughtful feedback and ongoing support in developing a curatorial project from the fellowship cohort, mentors, guest curators and ECI Director.
– A warm welcome into the expansive network of ECI Fellows, partners and mentors; connecting and building relationships with artists, peers, arts workers, curators, spaces and communities regionally, nationally and globally.
If selected, Fellows will be expected to:
– Explore, research and potentially present a curatorial project.
– If invited, participate in practicum with a leading Minnesota institution following the learning period.
– Be open to/ address how accessibility* and community engagement will inform their vision and curatorial practice.
– Meet deadlines set for the learning cycle (reading assignments, writings, sharings…etc.) and be timely in response to communications from fellowship staff, cohort, select facilitators/guest curators and venue partners.
– Engage with fellowship staff, mentors, guest curators, cohort members, ECI and YEP network, and community and institutional partners in respect of care, accessibility and intersectionality**.
– Join in visits and gatherings of exhibitions and presentations of past ECI Fellows, and those collectively chosen by cohort and fellowship staff.
– Attend up to two meetings per month in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and/or online starting in December 2026 and ending by September 2027***
– Meet with a Mentor on a regular basis****
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More explanation on accessibility, intersectionality, expectations of cohort meeting and mentor exchanges noted below.
*Accessibility – an evolving practice of making spaces (physical, environmental, virtual, communicative) usable by as many people as possible. In particular when we speak of access, we are centering how to support D/deaf, disabled, neurodiverse, chronically ill communities in meaningfully engaging with us, our programs and events.
**Intersectionality – The intersectional approach is informed by pioneering thinker Dr. Kimberlé W. Crenshaw’s framework, which speaks to the complex set of social and political identities we each inhabit, and which lead to multiple distinct yet overlapping modes of privilege, discrimination and disadvantage. By taking an intersectional approach, we become aware of where power resides, and of the apparent absences in the sector. We place intersectionality at the center of our activities and operations, respecting complexity, resisting simplification, and refusing to tokenize based on any single issue, practice, or identity marker.
***Cohort meetings—gatherings involving all the Fellows—are mandatory. Regular dates TBD based upon full cohort’s availability. In person gatherings are subject to required Covid-protocols determined by fellowship staff.
****Mentor meetings are scheduled in alignment with Fellows’ Mentors and can occur by Zoom, phone, or in-person at the discretion of the Fellow and Mentor.
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For more insights on expectations, what Fellows will receive and questions surrounding the application materials or participation, please email info@emergingcurators.org.
Access support is available for those within the disability, neurodivergent and chronically ill communities wishing to apply. Please email access@emergingcurators.org, call or text 651.237.5936.
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There are 3 parts to The Emerging Curators Institute Fellowship application:
1. Personal Information
2. Application narrative
3. Resume and Work Samples
Click here for the application submission form
Should you have any questions or issues, please email info@emergingcurators.org
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PART 1: Personal Information (Noted for Informational Purposes Only, Go to Application to Fill out the Form)
- Full Name
- What are your Pronouns?
- Mailing Address?
- Phone number
- How would you describe yourself?
- Do you have any accessibility needs (note yes or no)? [If yes, please share those access requests]
- Please share your availability, scheduling conflicts and any previous commitments, obligations or travel (potential or confirmed) within the learning cycle period (December 2026 – September 2027). Please be as specific as possible.
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PART 2: Application Narrative (Noted for Informational Purposes Only, Go to Application to Fill out the Form)
For the Application Narrative, please provide:
a) Statement of Interest
b) Curatorial Vision Proposal
To note: You will complete your answers in a separate document, with title at top of each document (Statement of Interest or Project Proposal) and upload each accordingly. Uploading as a PDF is best.
Please adhere to the word limit of each area. Panelists will only read the first 500 words of a Statement of Interest and the first 750 words of a Proposal.
To support access, for all written documents, please increase the font size to at least 16 font point and use a san serif font.
a)Statement of Interest*(500 words max)
Please offer a statement as to your interest in being an ECI Fellow. [One PDF File to be uploaded for the statement of interest in the application form.]
Guiding questions to answer:
• Why are you interested in participating in a curatorial program?
• How would you benefit from this program? What do you hope to learn?
• What does it mean to be curator? To curate? How does this connect to your identity and practice as a creative, artist or beginning curator?
• What are some of the principles, values, beliefs, or ideas that inspire you to do curatorial work?
• Is there anything else we should know about you, your needs, and hopes for participating in this fellowship?
*Once you have completed the statement of interest in a separate document, upload it as a PDF in the application form.
B) Curatorial Vision Proposal(750 words max)
[One PDF File to be uploaded for the Vision Proposal in the application form]
Questions informing your proposal:
• What is a vision you have for a curatorial project you would like to explore?
• Why is this project important to you, at this time?
• Which artists or what kind of artists might be involved, or would you like to work with? Do you have an existing relationship with them?
• If you don’t plan to work with artists, which objects, materials, resources, plans of engagement or education would shape your project?
• How might accessibility be integrated into the vision of the project and presentation?
• How might you engage community? Which community/communities might you draw into this project?
• Where might you wish to present this project? Is it in a gallery, outdoors, community center or somewhere else?
==To Note==
We welcome emergent visions, so don’t feel you have to have a complete vision, just share what you are passionate about in a way that feels right for you.
*Once you have completed the Curatorial Vision proposal in a separate document, upload it as a PDF in the application form.
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PART 3: RESUME AND WORK SAMPLES (Noted for Informational Purposes Only, Go to Application to Fill out the Form)
Resumé and Work Samples
For the final part of this application you will upload a resumé and work samples. Each applicant must provide a resumé, at least 3 samples and a work samples list with brief descriptions. (go to following details for what to submit for each)
In support of accessibility, those with access requests, wishing to submit the application in another format (such as a video or audio version), please feel free to email access@emergincurators.org, text or call 651.237.5936
For Resumé (3 pages max)
A resumé can take the form of a professional CV (curriculum vitae), a biography, or a listing of your accomplishments in the arts, cultural, social justice or related fields. Previous curatorial experience is not required, but you should make a connection to your experience in your proposal and statement of interest.
Please note: To support access, please increase the font size to at least 16 font point and use a san serif font.
Upload the resumé as a PDF in the application form.
Work Samples (3–7 images, pdfs, or videos) To be uploaded in following sections in the application.
For work samples, we welcome images of previous curatorial projects, artistic, or other organizational projects that make evident your potential to execute your proposal and connect to your statement of interest.
At least 3 work samples are required. There are various types of samples you can offer which can include:
– a writing sample of a curatorial statement
– images of a curatorial project or creative project
– research and cultural writings on an arts topic
– video of a project (only 1 sample in this format allowed, up to 5 minutes)
If you don’t have curatorial experience, we encourage you to submit work samples from previous projects that you believe are related to curatorial, creative or arts practice.
Have you organized an event, film series, public program, community gathering, or publication? Share images or materials that support evidence of these activities.
Are you an artist? Please submit images of your own work. Videos are welcome but only 1 is allowed, up to 5 minutes in length.
Have you written an art-related research paper, essay, or article? Share a pdf with a writing sample (maximum 2 pages for each writing sample).
Lastly, Please provide a list of your work samples in a document, briefly describing each sample. Don’t forget to tell us your role in the project, and a brief summary or description. There will be a separate upload for this document following the uploading of all work samples. [Please note: To support access, for all written documents, please increase the font size to at least 16 font point and use a san serif font.]
If you are unsure of what to provide, please email info@emergingcurators.org and we can offer suggestions on what might help represent your experience.
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Work Sample Descriptions (Required)
Please provide a list of your work samples in a document, briefly describing each sample. Don’t forget to tell us your role in the project, and a brief summary or description (up to 75 words for each sample).
==Please note: To support access, for all written documents, please increase the font size to at least 16 font point and use a san serif font.
We appreciate your interest in The Emerging Curators Institute Fellowship!
Should you have any questions or issues, please email info@emergingcurators.org