Guide to the Best Artist Grants and Opportunities in the Midwestern U.S.
The Artwork Archive team set out to find the best art opportunities, artist grants, and calls for entry for visual artists in the Midwestern United States.
Below you will find a list of the top artist residencies, international open calls, artist grants, exhibition opportunities and art competitions that we believe will benefit artists, specifically in the Midwest.
Remember, you can now save the important deadlines for your favorite opportunities right in your Artwork Archive account.
When you find a call that interests you, simply click ‘Add to Schedule' and the call's deadline will be automatically added to your Schedule. You'll also receive weekly reminders to keep you on top of your game.
We will be updating this list throughout the year, so make sure to bookmark the page, check back often, and let us know if there is an opportunity that should be listed!
MORE COMING SOON: Our team is currently hard at work searching for opportunities in this region!
June 30, 2024 43 days left
Pine Meadow Ranch Center for Arts and Agriculture Open Call: Care & Stewardship
Residency
- Submission Deadline: June 30, 2024
- Award Info: Stipend to offset living and travel expenses for out-of-town residents
- Eligibility: International
- Categories: Craft/Traditional Arts, Photography, Drawing, Film/Video/New Media, Mixed-Media/Multi-Discipline, Painting, Sculpture
- Location: Sisters, OR 97759, United States
We are thrilled to announce our open call for participation in our 2025 artist residency program, dedicated to exploring the theme Care and Stewardship. At the heart of this theme is the idea that care transcends human boundaries and acknowledges our interconnected existence in the world. We invite individuals from diverse backgrounds and disciplines to explore the multifaceted dimensions and essence of care.
At its core, Care & Stewardship beckons reflection upon reciprocal responsibility we hold as stewards of the Earth. It prompts us to consider the consequences of our actions, both immediate and in the future, on ecosystems, biodiversity, and future generations. Yet, its reach extends far beyond interpersonal dynamics to encompass the stewardship of our environment, the pursuit of social justice, and the cultivation of collective well-being. Through this exploration, we invite artists, scientists, scholars, and cultural bearers to critically engage with the concept of care, probing its intersections with issues of social justice, environmental sustainability, and ethical responsibility. Together, let us delve into the transformative potential of care in shaping more compassionate and sustainable futures.
At Pine Meadow Ranch Center for Arts & Agriculture, we work with artists, educators, researchers and Tribal members to support the long-term resilience of the local ecosystem. As stewards of the land, we rely on a deep understanding of the local ecology and the application of time-tested techniques to conserve natural resources and maintain the fertile conditions in which life can flourish. Understanding how different entities within the ecosystem interact and coexist at PMRCAA has allowed us to preserve the ranching tradition and maintain agricultural land. Our hope is to restore PMRCAA’s soil by understanding the diverse web of relationships responsible for maintaining its fertility.
By embracing a more expansive perspective that recognizes the power of diverse ways of knowing and being, we concern ourselves with how to instill ethical relations of production and explore the role artists, culture bearers, scientists, scholars, and researchers play in nourishing radical imagination and facilitating transformative change.
August 1, 2024 75 days left
2025 Fall Artist-in-Residence Open Call September 10- November 12
Residency
- Organization: Bemis Center for contemporary arts
- Submission Deadline: August 1, 2024
- Event Dates: September 10, 2025 - November 12, 2025
- Entry Fee: $40
- Eligibility: International
- Categories: Craft/Traditional Arts, Photography, Drawing, Film/Video/New Media, Mixed-Media/Multi-Discipline, Painting, Sculpture
- Location: omaha, NE 68102, United States
Located in the historic Old Market, Omaha’s arts and culture district, Bemis Center's 110,000 square foot facility accommodates a broad range of artistic activity. Selected artists-in-residence enjoy generous sized, private live/work studios complete with kitchen and bathroom, a $1,250 USD monthly stipend and $750 travel stipend. Due to the limitations of B2 visas (touring/visiting), international artists-in-residence are eligible to receive reimbursement of qualified expenses, such as airfare, ground transportation, and meals. Selected artists are responsible for organizing travel to Omaha to attend the residency. Artists-in-residence have 24-hour access to extensive installation and production spaces and the Okada Sculpture & Ceramics Facility, a 9,000 square foot industrial space used for large-scale sculpture fabrication; and a Sound Studio for rehearsing and recording. This is an independently-driven, process-based residency in a communal environment, fostering creative growth, experimentation, and supportive exchange. There are no expectations placed on residents to create or promise of an exhibition in our first-floor galleries. Artists who are interested in applying to any 2025 open call opportunity (Jan–April, May–August, or September–November) will be required to submit a separate application and application fee for each designated session. In the event an artist is selected for more than one session, the artist will select one session to attend. Deadline: August 1, 2024 by 11:59 PM CST. Complete details can be found at bemiscenter.org/apply.
Ongoing
Jamestown Arts Artist in Residence Program
Residency
- Submission Deadline: Ongoing
- Entry Fee: Free to apply
- Award Info: Artists receive hourly payment for teaching and free living quarters
- Eligibility: National
- Categories: Craft/Traditional Arts, Photography, Drawing, Film/Video/New Media, Mixed-Media/Multi-Discipline, Painting, Sculpture
- Location: Jamestown , North Dakota
The Artist In Residence Program (AIR) serves K – 5 students in all six Jamestown elementary schools following the school calendar. Residency options include a fall semester and a winter/spring semester, or both. Artists follow a visual arts curriculum structured on basic design elements working with teachers and administrators. Each rotation requires a completed “Unit Plan” which includes lesson plans or goals, supplies needed, and a section for teacher feedback.
The resident artist may use the rest of the day and the weekends for personal studio time, including access to the pottery studio and print shop, and teaching classes at the Arts Center.
DEADLINE IS ONGOING