Queens Museum-Jerome Foundation Fellowship for Emerging Artists 2021–22

Queens Museum is pleased to announce its fifth QM-Jerome Foundation Fellowship for Emerging Artists in New York City. Two visual artists will receive 20,000 USD each, professional development consultations, and close mentorship from QM staff members working toward an artist’s project. The fellowships will culminate in exhibitions at the Queens Museum in 2021. The duration of each fellowship is one year, culminating with the closing of the fellow’s exhibition.

The QM-Jerome Foundation Fellowship is open to emerging visual artists living in the five boroughs of New York City. The Queens Museum defines an emerging artist as one who is at the dawn of their public career. The eligible artist has completed their studies, but has not had solo exhibitions at established commercial galleries or public institutions or received major grants. The category also includes artists who are well beyond their studies, and may have participated in group exhibitions but have not received extensive press or market recognition. These artists may have exhibited their work in other countries on a limited basis, but have not had major exhibition opportunities in the US or in New York in particular. 

Past and current fellows:
2014–15: Meredith James, Kameelah Janan Rasheed, Casey Tang
2016–17: Ronny Quevedo, Sable Elyse Smith, Julia Weist
2018–19: Alexandria Smith, American Artist
2020: Asif Mian, Sydney Shen

“The Jerome fellowship has allowed me to focus on creating a critically rigorous exhibition that reflects my research-based practice rather than being concerned with the artwork performing well on the art market. By having the fellowship I’ve gained an understanding of how production, labor, and research factor into a large-scale exhibition. I have also learned how to interface with a large institution and work collaboratively to develop an exhibition.”
—American Artist

“The QM-Jerome Foundation Fellowship was an immensely positive experience. The scale of funding allowed me to undertake a far more ambitious project than I would have been able to otherwise in preparation for my exhibition at the museum.”
—Julia Weist

“Through every step before and after mounting the exhibition, I felt within reach of the sources that could facilitate solutions. This speaks to the knowledge and experience of the staff at the Museum. It was not often that I needed to look beyond the diverse voices available, ranging from the curatorial team to facilities manager.”
—Ronny Quevedo 

“The QM-Jerome fellowship gave me space, time and funding to experiment with scale, materials, and architecture in ways I had not had the opportunity to in the past… Through this fellowship, I had the opportunity to teach a multilingual and intergenerational ‘zine-making class which allowed me to see the potential of an exhibition project that integrates all elements of my practice as both an artist and educator.”
—Kameelah Janan Rasheed

A five-person jury will review applications and make the selection. [The jury will be made up of the Queens Museum’s Director of Exhibitions and Programs; Queens Museum’s Assistant Curators; artist and former QM-Jerome Foundation Fellow Sable Elyse Smith; and Dan Byers, John R. and Barbara Robinson Family Director of the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts at Harvard University.]    

Click here for complete eligibility criteria and application guidelines.