Eliza Moore Fellowship for Artistic Excellence

The Oak Spring Garden Foundation (OSGF) is accepting applications for our 2023 Eliza Moore Fellowship for Artistic Excellence now through Thursday, May 26, 2022 at 11:59pm EST.  This fellowship is awarded annually to one outstanding early-career artist who is developing new works that address plants, gardens, or landscapes.  This is OSGF’s most prestigious artist award and is open to visual artists, literary artists, dancers, and musicians. The award includes a 10,000 USD individual grant and requires a two-to-eight week stay at Oak Spring. This fellowship will be awarded to an exceptional artist who shows remarkable promise to contribute to a deeper understanding of the natural world, and humankind’s place in it.

During their two-to-eight week stay at Oak Spring, the fellow will be able to meet with staff, explore our 700-acre landscape and our efforts in sustainable land management, and visit our rare book library that holds over 19,000 objects, including many examples of botanical art.  The Fellow will have ample time and space to work independently on their own projects during their stay, and studio artists will have 24/7 access to a studio in close proximity to their accommodations. The only requirement during their time at Oak Spring will be to give one 30-minute presentation with time for questions, to Oak Spring staff and any other fellows, residents, or program participants who are on site.

“My residency at Oak Spring was a dream,” 2020 Eliza Moore Fellow Emma Steinkraus said. “The program is designed to make artists feel cared for and welcomed while accomplishing meaningful work. I discovered new research directions through the generosity of the library staff, while the farm team taught me about the history and uses of different plants.” To learn more about past Eliza Moore Fellows, please visit here.

About the Oak Spring Garden Foundation
OSGF is a private operating foundation first established by Rachel (“Bunny”) Mellon in 1993 and began operations in its current form after her death in 2014. The foundation’s mission is to support and inspire fresh thinking and bold action on the history and future of plants, including the art and culture of gardens and landscapes.

Application process
To begin your application, please go to Submittable and locate the “2023 Residency and Fellowship Programs” application.  Please note that there is one application for all of OSGF’s 2023 residency and fellowship programs, and you will be prompted to select which programs you would like to be considered for. You will be asked to submit:

–A resume/curriculum vitae (not to exceed two pages),
–A 200–300-word statement on your artistic practice,
–A statement of 200–300 words stating how your work relates to the Oak Spring Garden Foundation’s mission to “perpetuate and share the gifts of Rachel (“Bunny”) Lambert Mellon, including her residence, garden, estate and the Oak Spring Garden Library, to serve the public interest. OSGF is dedicated to inspiring and facilitating scholarship and public dialogue on the history and future of plants, including the culture of gardens and landscapes and the importance of plants for human well-being,”
–Work samples:
–For visual artists: five to ten images, please include the dimensions, year, medium, and title of each work sample. 
–For creative writers of fiction, non-fiction, essayists, or other writers: seven to ten pages total that demonstrate your current interests. Please use twelve-point font, one-inch margins, and double-space your writing sample.  Do not include photocopies of published work, title pages, tables of contents or hyperlinks.  Please be sure to state the genre of the work sample.
–For Time-Based Artists, including: Filmmakers, Musicians, Dancers, and Performance Artists: ten minutes cumulatively of work samples. OSGF encourages video files to be uploaded directly to Submittable, but when necessary, we also accept links to vimeo or other external sites as long as the appropriate passwords are provided.
–For Poets and Playwrights: you may submit seven to ten pages total.  Poetry may be spaced as needed, and scripts should follow standard script formatting.  

Note: When applying to this fellowship, you will be asked if you are interested in being considered for one of OSGF’s interdisciplinary residencies if you are not selected for the Eliza Moore Fellowship. To learn more about OSGF’s residencies, visit here.

Eligibility
Eligible applicants must be early-career artists not enrolled in an undergraduate degree program in 2023. The successful Fellow must be self-directed and able to work independently while on site. Applicants are expected to show dedication to their artistic practice, clear connection to the natural world in their work, exceptional promise, and good communication skills.

Dates
The dates of the Fellow’s residency will be scheduled in consultation with OSGF staff and should fall between Monday, June 12, 2023–Saturday, November 18, 2023.

Other information
The selected Fellow should make travel arrangements to Dulles International Airport, where OSGF will arrange transportation for them to our estate in Upperville, VA. The Fellow will reside in a nicely appointed, self-catering accommodation during their time at Oak Spring.  The fellow will have a private bedroom and bathroom, and share a living room and kitchen.

Selection
A jury of established artists and arts administrators will review the applicants and select the 2023 Oak Spring Garden Foundation Eliza Moore Fellow.