Artist Programs
Fulfilling Joan Mitchell’s ambition to “aid and assist” artists, the Foundation offers a range of programs and resources designed to meet the commitment of artists to sustain their creative practices.
Joan Mitchell Fellowship
The Joan Mitchell Fellowship annually awards 15 artists working in the evolving fields of painting and sculpture with $60,000 each in unrestricted funds, distributed over a five-year period. Launched in 2021, the new Fellowship program re-envisions and enhances the impact of the Foundation's earlier Painters & Sculptors Grants. These awards are decided through a nomination and jury process; artists receive an invitation to apply if they are nominated.
Residencies in New Orleans
At the Joan Mitchell Center in New Orleans, we offer artists dedicated time and space for the creative process. Each year, past Foundation grant recipients and artists based in New Orleans are invited to apply for one- to five-month residencies.
Creating a Living Legacy
Through the Creating a Living Legacy (CALL) initiative, we encourage artists to honor and preserve a lifetime of work through intentional legacy planning. Artists, their family members, and estate executors can access free resources on career documentation, inventory management, and estate planning.
Professional Development
We offer professional consultations, training, and knowledge building as core aspects of our programs for artists. Many of our guides, articles, and resource lists are made available to a wider audience online.
Emergency Grants
From 2005–2019, the Foundation provided emergency support to U.S.-based visual artists who suffered significant material losses after natural or man-made disasters, to help them get back to their practices. In response to the COVID-19 crisis in 2020, we increased and reallocated the Foundation's Emergency Grants budget to Artist Relief, a national COVID response fund, and Creative Response, a New Orleans-based relief effort. The Foundation concluded the Emergency Grants program at the end of 2020 to more fully dedicate resources to the new Joan Mitchell Fellowship, while remaining responsive to large-scale emergencies affecting the artist community.
Past Programs
Learn more about the Foundation's past work to understand and support evolving artist needs, including:
- MFA Grants (1997 to 2012)
- Art Education (1997 to 2016)
- Organizational Grants (2005 to 2017)
- Emerging Artist Grants (2015 to 2016)
- Early Art Practitioners Initiatives (2017 to 2019)