We are thrilled to announce a partnership between New York State Council on the Arts and Shake on the Lake to provide funding for rural artists in 2026. This wide range of projects across rural New York represent the depth of artistic talent in our rural communities.
Guidelines for the 2026 Rural and Traditional Arts Fellowship are available on our guidelines page on December 16, 2025 here: https://rtaf-ny.org/guidelines-2026/
A webinar detailing the Fellowship will be on January 3 at noon. It will be recorded and available here. The link for the live version will be available here on December 30, 2025.
Office hours schedule will be available here January 3, 2026.
Funding for this project is made possible with support from the New York State Council on the Arts with support from the Governor’s office and the New York State Legislature.
Rural and Traditional Arts Fellowship
In partnership with the New York State Council on the Arts, Shake on the Lake is administering a statewide Fellowship program for rural and traditional artists. We encourage artists to apply for project funding through an initiative specifically designed for rural artists to collaborate with their communities.
The Fellowship takes a place-based approach with the goal of inspiring and building lasting connections to rural people and places and to acknowledge and support artists living and working within rural communities. This project is meant to celebrate the creativity and innovative nature of the artist and the connection between arts and land in rural communities.
Ten fellows in a wide range of artistic genres will be selected to represent their rural communities across New York State in 2026. Each will receive a $10,000.00 Fellowship.
Application Deadline
Friday, February 20, 2026
For further information on the Rural and Traditional Arts Fellowship,
email RTAF Coordinator Linda Franke:
Email: rtafcoordinator@gmail.com
Missed our 2023 Fellows? Catch up with this video!
Visit the 2023 RTAF Fellows Page
for details on the artists and their projects.
About Shake on the Lake
Our mission is to use theatre and the performing arts to inspire and re-imagine community through performance, education, and creative placemaking. We specialize in serving rural communities and underserved populations in the Silver Lake, NY region, by bringing high-quality professional theatre productions and innovative arts education programming to the community.
For more information, visit: shakeonthelake.org
Funding
FUNDING FOR THIS PROJECT IS MADE POSSIBLE WITH SUPPORT FROM THE NEW YORK STATE COUNCIL ON THE ARTS WITH SUPPORT FROM THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE AND THE NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATURE.
New York State Rural & Traditional Arts Fellowship 