RURAL AND TRADITIONAL ARTS FELLOWSHIP
2026
RURAL AND TRADITIONAL ARTS FELLOWSHIP: A PLACE-BASED PROJECT
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. Shake on the Lake, in partnership with the New York State Council on the Arts, encourages 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.
APPLICATION DEADLINE FEBRUARY 20, 2026 AT 4 PM
Rural and Traditional Arts Fellowship 2026 Final Reports are due no later than 30 days after the completion of the project. All reports must be submitted by January 31, 2027.
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
ELIGIBILITY
Who is eligible?
• Artists living and/or working in a rural community. For the purposes of this initiative, a rural community is defined as having populations of less than 25,000 and not part of an urban or suburban cluster.
• Artists working across disciplines are eligible. This can include individual artists, makers, and culture bearers who are committed to advancing the role of art, culture and creativity in rural development and community building.
• The project must demonstrate a deep commitment and place-based engagement with the artist’s rural community.
• Artists must propose an actionable idea that responds to, is inspired by, and/or engages with the land through their artistic practice. Artists may choose to work with a farm, a park or arboretum, a significant parcel of land, or another rural-based entity that is meaningful to the artist and their community.
How is the Fellowship structured?
• This Fellowship must culminate in a showing of a new work through a hybrid live/virtual presentation and/ or a traveling component to other rural communities. A cohort of 10 Fellows will be selected. The Fellowship provides a $10,000 award to support their existing work and to create a new work in response to their rural community. An additional $1,000 is included for actual travel expenses of the Fellow within NYS. The travel stipend may only cover travel related to project development, presentation of their work and cohort exchanges. Fellows should retain documentation of travel expenses and should generally not exceed the caps on NYS travel expenses described at https://bsc.ogs.ny.gov/before-your-trip.
• Fellowships provide a 10-month process to develop a work integrated in and in response to the artist’s rural community. The Fellowship may culminate in a completed work or showing of the new work through a hybrid live/virtual presentation and/or a traveling component to other rural communities.
• Fellows are required to participate in the cohort components consisting of 2 artist in- person learning exchanges. These exchanges are meant to address challenges and successes the artists and communities are experiencing, and to discuss ways that artists can better support their work in community. There will also be monthly virtual check-ins that we encourage you to attend.
What are the desired outcomes for this Fellowship?
• Ensure that rural artists have equal representation and appropriate access to arts funding and the greater artist community.
• Address the barriers of travel, transportation, and access to general services frequently faced by artists in rural regions.
• Ensure that rural culture is celebrated, and that rural communities are represented through sharing of place-based projects from across the state.
• Build a network of artists working in rural regions across New York State to help support artistic connection and access to resources and opportunities.
• Raise the significance, visibility, and vital role of artists is rural communities. Many artists working in rural-based traditional arts such as woodworking, quilt making, square dancing and accompanying music, or storytelling are not viewed or validated as “artists”; many do not even self-identify as “artists”.
SELECTION CRITERIA
This is a competitive process. The criteria and priorities are the measurements that the panel uses to evaluate applications. Decisions will be made based on the quality and merit of the proposed project, and the connection to the place and/or community selected in conjunction with the work.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
• Artist must be a resident of or work in a rural community of New York State
• The project must take place within the rural community in New York State listed on the application and within the calendar year 2026 (please contact ACWC RTAF Coordinator if you feel COVID or other restrictions may affect the timing of your project)
• The artist must notify the RTAF Coordinator of any and all public events that are part of the project at least 30 days before the event
• You are not required to attend an ACWC Grant Seminar or Office Hours to be eligible to apply, but it is highly recommended
• All applications and support materials must be received by Friday, February 20, 2026 at 4 PM
PROJECT NARRATIVE/WORK PLAN
Please answer the following questions sequentially, numbering the corresponding responses. If you must submit your application in hard copy format, your narrative should be no more than two single sided pages in size 12 font.
1. Give a description of your project that is concise and clear and that addresses the following: what will you be doing? Why did you choose this project for this community or place? What is the significance of this place for you? How will the community be involved? Your description should be no more than 1000 words.
2. Describe how you feel the community and/or place is represented in this project OR
how you hope it will affect the community in which the program will be presented. We encourage you to be imaginative and creative here!
3. Timeline: Include a timeline of completion milestones throughout the proposed project (for example: all interviews will be completed by May 31, 2024; all photos will be printed by October 15; 5 of 15 poems will be completed by April 10). This timeline should be reviewed with a representative of your sponsoring agency, if applicable.
4
GRANTEE RESPONSIBILITIES
Please note: Failure to fulfill these responsibilities may affect your ability to apply for future grants.
All grant recipients:
• Must file a final report no later than 30 days after the completion of the project or no later January 31, 2027.
• Are responsible for providing Shake on the Lake with copies of publications and promotional materials related to the funded project
• Are responsible for providing Shake on the Lake with advance notification and announcements of events at least 30 days prior to event. Dates included in the application are not sufficient.
• Are required to credit Shake on the Lake in the following manner:
“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, AND IS ADMINISTERED BY SHAKE ON THE LAKE.”
• Are required to use the Shake logo in all promotional material
• Grantees may NOT use the NYSCA logo, but may include #NYSCA in materials if they choose to
• Must attend at least 6 of the 8 workshops that are part of the fellowship. The in-person
workshops are required.
• For ticketed events, 2 tickets must be delivered (mailed, emailed, or dropped off) to Shake on the Lake at least 2 weeks prior to the event
REVIEW PROCEDURES
All Individual Artist grant applications are screened by Shake on the Lake staff for eligibility and fulfillment of application requirements. The final responsibility for completeness of application is the responsibility of the applicant. Applications are reviewed by an independent panel of rural New York State residents. This group, comprised of community members, artists and educators, makes funding recommendations. The panel will make its recommendations to the Grant Coordinator, who will in turn make their recommendations known to the full Shake on the Lake Board of Directors. All applicants will be notified of the panel’s decision within 30 days of the panel decision. If the applicant is funded, the recipient will enter into a contractual agreement with Shake on the Lake with payment to follow.
APPEALS PROCESS
Applicants have 10 days from the postmark of the notification letter to appeal a funding decision. In order to begin the appeals process, the applicant must first speak with the Shake on the Lake Grant Coordinator. Grounds for appeals are non-presentation of information by Shake on the Lake staff to the Peer Review Panel; misrepresentation of information; or improper procedure. Dissatisfaction with a denial of an award or with the grant amount is not eligible grounds for appeal.
Help is Available!
Shake on the Lake is dedicated to assisting all applicants in the preparation of their applications. You are encouraged to ask questions of our staff at any time during the application process. Applicants are encouraged to submit a draft of their application for staff review and feedback February 10 so that any adaptations or corrections may be made before the application deadline of February 20 at 4 PM.
Application Seminars
Please note: To increase availability, several Rural and Traditional Arts Fellowship grant application seminars will be held via Zoom or one on one with the Grants Coordinator, either by phone or via the Zoom platform. Please contact Linda Franke at
RTAFCoordinator@gmail.com to set up an appointment or to get a link to attend one of the following scheduled Application Seminars. A schedule of seminars and office hours are available on our website.
New York State Rural & Traditional Arts Fellowship 