Alliance Wire

Virtual Connection Session: July 2025

SJCA Updates:

• We have moved! Make sure to update your records today! Add our current address 174 S New York Ave, #142, Oceanville, NJ 08231
• We have an Open Call for South Jersey Photographers! Make sure to apply if you are interested.
• Join South Jersey Cultural Alliance staff during our open office hours for casual, supportive conversation. | Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM | Dates: July 7, August 4, October 6, November 3, December 1 of 2025 | Register here!
• DC Gallery & Studio | July Artist Meetup | Thursday, July 10, 2025 starting at 7pm | Location: DC Gallery & Studio, Millville, NJ | More information and RSVP.
• Finishing out the fiscal year? Consider getting an SJCA Membership! Sign up or Renew today!

Opportunities:

• New Jersey State Council on the Arts | Applications for Individual Artist Fellowship Grants Now Open! | Deadline: July 16, 2025 by 5 PM EST. | More information and application.
• Composers Guild of New Jersey | Grants for Compositions | Deadline: Ongoing | More information.
• The Awesome Foundation | Awesome Grants | Deadline: Rolling | More information and application.
• New Jersey State Council on the Arts | PUBLIC ART OPPORTUNITY: EWR Newark Liberty Airport Digital Art Exhibition 2026 | Deadline: July 29, 2025 | Submission information.
• The Kyoto Retreat | Apply to The Kyoto Retreat | Deadline: July 15, 2025 | More information and application.
• Powell Lane Arts | Coffee for Creatives | Date & Time: July 6, 2025 at 12 PM | RSVP here.

Session Contacts:

• Steph Nerbak | New Jersey State Council on the Arts | Artists Services Management | 609-292-4474 | Stephanie.Nerbak@sos.nj.gov
• Jackie Domenus | MidAtlantic Arts | Program Director, Fellowships | fellowships@midatlanticarts.org

Session Links:

• https://midatlanticarts.smartsimple.com/s_Login.jsp
• https://www.midatlanticarts.org/opportunity/new-jersey-state-arts-fellowships/
• There is a work sample preparation guide on the website. Here's the link: https://www.midatlanticarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Work-Sample-Preparation-Guide.pdf
• https://www.midatlanticarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/FY26-NJ-IAF-Rules-and-Instructions-English.pd

• Application Deadlines:
  
  
  • Early Bird Deadline: July 2, 2025 (allows time for feedback and revisions)
    
    
  • Final Deadline: July 16, 2025
    
    
• Award Details:
  
  
  • Fellowships range from $3,000 to $32,000
    
    
  • Funds are unrestricted and based solely on artistic merit
    
    
  • Open to artists working in the following disciplines:
    
    
    • Film/Video
      
      
    • Digital/Electronic Arts
      
      
    • Interdisciplinary
      
      
    • Painting
      
      
    • Prose
      
      
    • Printmaking/Drawing/Book Arts
      
      
• Evaluation Process:
  
  
  • Anonymous review by a peer panel
    
    
  • No identifying information is allowed in submitted materials
    
    
• Eligibility:
  
  
  • Must be a New Jersey resident, age 18 or older
    
    
  • Not currently enrolled in a degree program
    
    
  • Must not have received a fellowship in the past 5 years
    
    
  • Submitted work must be created within the past 4 years and outside of student work
    
    

Application Process

• Apply via the SmartSimple online portal:
  
  
  • Create an individual artist account
    
    
  • Select your discipline category
    
    
  • Upload required work samples and metadata
    
    
  • Submit an optional 150-word context statement (must remain anonymous)
    
    
• Carefully review all submission rules and technical requirements prior to uploading
• Submission failed? You'll need to make sure all the required information is submitted. Look at what SmartSimple says about what is missing in your application.
  
  

Work Sample Requirements

• Discipline-specific guidelines apply:
  
  
  • Painting: 4–6 images
    
    
  • Prose: 10–20 pages
    
    
• Must meet technical standards for file type, size, etc.
  
  
• Include metadata such as title, medium, and dimensions
  
  
• No biographical or identifying info in filenames, metadata, or documents
  
  

Review & Selection

• Anonymous peer review prioritizes artistic quality
  
  
• Panels score across disciplines
  
  
• Top-scoring submissions receive funding
  
  
• Notification of results by March 1, 2026
  
  

Use of Award

• Funds may be used to support any aspect of an artist’s practice
  
  
• Some restrictions apply (e.g., no international travel, no equipment purchases)
  
  

Next Steps for Applicants

1. Review the full program guidelines and instructions
   
   
2. Begin preparing work samples that meet technical and anonymity standards
   
   
3. Aim to submit by the early bird deadline for time to revise if needed
   
   
4. Reach out to Mid Atlantic Arts with any questions prior to applying
   
   
5. If not selected, you are encouraged to request feedback post-notification

Session Recording:

• https://youtu.be/cqlhGL0ChPY