Open Call: 2027 Fellowship

Amplify’s Fellowship program champions artists working outside conventional art spaces to investigate the layered civic histories, cultural traditions, and living ecologies that shape our region. Designed to support site-responsive installations, book and publishing projects, films, performances, and other publicly engaged project-based work, the Fellowship provides $10,000 in project support, individualized project mentorship, and feedback in a small cohort-based learning environment.

For the 2027 Fellowship, preference will be given to projects that engage with the theme of Migration by exploring how movement shapes our communities, environments, and collective futures. We welcome project-based work that examines migration not only as the movement of people, but also as the circulation of ideas, languages, labor, waterways, seeds, species, capital, and culture.

We especially encourage projects that invite public participation or engagement. This may take the form of site-responsive installations, performances, workshops, or other shared experiences, as well as the circulation of books, printed matter, films, digital media, archives, or other forms of knowledge. We value projects that create opportunities for people to encounter, contribute to, or engage with ideas in ways that foster dialogue, learning, and reflection outside conventional art spaces.

About the Fellowship

Amplify’s Fellowship program champions artists working outside conventional art spaces to investigate the layered civic histories, cultural traditions, and living ecologies that shape our region. Rooted in an understanding of place as dynamic and contested, this year-long fellowship positions artistic inquiry as a vital method for examining the intersection of social, political, and environmental systems.

Designed to support site-responsive installations, book and publishing projects, films, performances, and other publicly engaged project-based work, the Fellowship provides $10,000 in project support. Fellows learn with and from one another and receive individualized project mentorship from arts professionals working in and outside of Omaha and critical feedback in a small cohort-based learning environment.

The Fellowship aims to build artist communities grounded in generosity, curiosity, and critical dialogue beyond gallery and museum settings and highlight how artists engage directly with publics, landscapes, and civic systems.

Applications are open August 31 - October 4, 2026.

Who Should Apply?

If you’re interested in developing project-based work with critical feedback from mentors and other artists, this could be the perfect opportunity for you.

We define project-based work as an artistic or cultural initiative with a clear scope, timeline, and public outcome that can be realized over the course of the 12-month Fellowship. Projects should be rooted in sustained artistic inquiry and result in site-responsive installations, publications, performances, films, or other project-based work.

For the 2027 Fellowship, preference will be given to projects that engage with the theme of Migration by exploring how movement shapes our communities, environments, and collective futures. Situated along the Missouri River and within the Central Flyway, Omaha is continually reshaped by circulation, displacement, adaptation, and encounter. We welcome project-based work that examines migration related to the movement of people, and the circulation of ideas, languages, labor, waterways, seeds, species, capital, and culture.

We especially encourage projects that invite public participation or engagement. This may take the form of site-responsive installations, performances, workshops, or other shared experiences, as well as the circulation of books, printed matter, films, digital media, archives, or other forms of knowledge. We value projects that create opportunities for people to encounter, contribute to, or engage with ideas in ways that foster dialogue, learning, and reflection outside conventional art spaces.

Fellows are expected to actively participate in all regularly scheduled cohort meetings and contribute to a culture of generosity, curiosity, and shared learning. Prospective applicants should approach this program willing to expand their practice with curiosity and critical feedback from other Fellows and mentors.

Fellows will be paired with mentors from outside the Omaha area early in the program in a matchmaking process that responds to each artist’s questions, methods, and ambitions. Mentors will be selected from a pool of curators, artists, and arts professionals with substantial experience in developing project-based work.

Click here for an outline of the 12-month Fellowship schedule.

Applicants will be asked to submit:

• An Artist Statement describing their practice and the ideas that drive it forward.

• A Project Description that describes their project and how it will be realized during the year-long Fellowship period.

• A Project Budget that outlines costs associated with realizing their project.

• A Work Sample that includes examples of recent and past work.

• A Works Cited page with more information about the individual works, or bodies of work, in their sample.

Submission requirements, including file types, file sizes, and suggested words counts, for the above are detailed in the application.

Eligibility

• Any artist, artist collective, or collaborative group maintaining a residence within the Omaha/Council Bluffs Metro Area, including Washington, Douglas, Cass, Sarpy, and Saunders counties in Nebraska, and Pottawattamie, Mills, and Harrison counties in Iowa, is eligible to apply.

• Applicants must be at least 19 years old.

• Applicants must submit a complete application, including an Artist Statement, Project Description, Project Budget, Work Sample, and Works Cited page to be considered.

• A formal education is not required to apply.

Submissions from artist collectives and collaborative groups are welcome. Collectives and collaborative groups are eligible if:

• At least one member of the group meets the eligibility requirements outlined above.

• The group is not incorporated into a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

• The collective or collaborative group has a significant history of working together.

• Members of the group are committed to working on a deeply collaborative level to advance the goals of the group, rather than those of the individuals within the group.

Collaborative groups should submit as a group and discuss the nature and duration of the collaboration in their Artist Statement.

Review Process

Applications will be reviewed in a four-phase review process:

• Amplify Arts staff will review to ensure applicants meet eligibility requirements and have submitted a complete application.

• All eligible applications will be reviewed and scored by a panel of arts professionals.

• Panel members will recommend up to five applicants to interview with Amplify staff.

• Amplify staff will conduct interviews and select up to three applicants to participate in the Fellowship, based on panelists’ recommendations.

Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• The project is public-facing and speaks to the theme of Migration.

• The project can be fully realized with the $10,000 project budget.

• The work sample demonstrates an active practice and a history of thoughtful, compelling work.

• Overall, the application sparks an interest in learning more.

If invited to interview, applicants will receive prep questions in advance and have the opportunity to interview in person or on Zoom.

Amplify Arts staff participate in the application scoring and review process. Amplify staff will also conduct interviews and make final selections based on selection panelists’ recommendations.

Click here to view the full evaluation rubric.

Review Process Timeline:

• August 31: Applications Open

• September 8, 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm: Virtual Application Information Session

• September 15, 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm: Virtual Application Office Hours

• September 17, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm: Virtual Application Office Hours

• October 4, 11:59 pm: Application Closes

• October 5 - October 18: Application Review

• October 19 - October 23: Applicant Interviews

• October 30: Application Status Updates Delivered

Application Support

This application is available in:

• Spanish (written)

• Spanish (audio)

• English (written)

• English (audio)

Email info@amplifyarts.org with questions, or if you need:

• Help navigating Submittable, the application submission software.

• Access to a reliable wireless connection.

• A quiet space to work on your application.

To speak with a member of Amplify’s staff about your application, please register for Application Office Hours or email info@amplifyarts.org

Virtual Information Session: September 9, 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm on Zoom | Click here to register.

This session will provide prospective applicants with an overview of the Fellowship and submission process. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions, gain a deeper understanding of the Fellowship’s goals and selection criteria, and receive guidance to support a strong application.

The session will be recorded and posted to Amplify Arts’ website for those unable to attend. Attendance at this meeting is not required to apply.

Virtual Office Hours: Virtual office hours appointments are available in 20-minute blocks on the following dates and times:

• Session 1: September 15, 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm, Zoom | Click here to register.

• Session 2: September 17, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm, Zoom | Click here to register.

After registering, you will receive a link to join your meeting on Zoom.

During office hours, applicants can connect with Amplify Arts staff to receive assistance with:

• General Inquiries: Clarify guidelines related to eligibility, the selection criteria, or the requirements for application materials like the Artist Statement, Work Sample, or Works Cited Page.

• Application Consideration: Receive feedback or guidance on specific aspects of your application.

• Navigating Submittable: Get help using and troubleshooting the application submission software.

Reporting

Selected artists will complete a contract before funds are distributed. All awards in amounts of $600 and more are considered taxable income by the IRS, and selected artists will receive a 1099 form for tax purposes.

After their projects are completed, the selected applicants will be asked to complete a narrative evaluation that describes their experience.

Selected applicants will receive recognition via announcements on digital platforms and in press and news outlets.

Privacy

All personal information provided in this application is limited to the application review and selection processes associated with the Fellowship.

About Amplify Arts

Amplify Arts works to build communities where arts and culture are valued as essential to how we belong, relate, and collectively imagine what’s possible. We support artists, organizers, and cultural workers whose work helps us investigate our present moment while opening pathways toward new futures.

Our Fellowship supports artists working outside conventional art spaces to investigate the histories, traditions, and ecologies that shape our region. Rooted in an understanding of place as dynamic and contested, the Fellowship positions artistic inquiry as a vital method for examining the intersection of social, political, and environmental systems.