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.

Emily Gherard's hands lay thin black horizontal strips bordered by strips of yellow tape on white silk stretched over a frame. Brushes, pencils and other art supplied are to the side on the wooden table. Gherard is a white woman wearing a denim button-up shirt, and photo is cropped at her chest. — 2021 Joan Mitchell Fellow Emily Gherard working in the studio on a painting. Photo by Meggan Joy.

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.

2023 Joan Mitchell Fellows

More About The Fellowship

Artist Louise Mouton Johnson working at a sewing machine in her studio at the Joan Mitchell Center. She is surounded on the walls by patterned paper and fabric framed works. — Louise Mouton Johnson in her studio at the Joan Mitchell Center, 2018. © Reginald Eldridge, Jr.

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 6 or 14 week residencies.

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Current & Past Residents

Alex Unthank and Marcos Dimas looking at slides on a lightbox in a room filled with papers, art supplies and storage. — Legacy Specialist Alex Unthank working with CALL Artist Marcos Dimas in his studio.

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 resource guides on career documentation, inventory management, and estate planning.

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More About CALL

Legacy Planning Guides

We believe that artists of all ages and career stages can lay the groundwork for their future legacies by crafting a long-term plan for it. Through the Creating a Living Legacy (CALL) program, we produce legacy and estate planning guides that provide artists and their supporters the professional development tools needed to undertake this important work.

Browse Our Guides

Past Programs

Learn more about the Foundation's past work to understand and support evolving artist needs, including:

Painters & Sculptors Grants (1994 to 2020)
Emergency Grants (2005 to 2019)
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)

Our History

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