The 221A Fellowship is an 18-month (non-residential) studio placement at 825 Pacific Street with a living wage stipend and project funding. As one of Canada’s most generous studio-placement awards, the Fellowship was created to support artists historically excluded from arts and culture spaces.
This year, the Fellowship shifts from an open call to a nomination process. With this change, 221A aims to reach a wider, new network of artists nominated by reputable community members who know the artists’ works first-hand. While the 2024 open call drew 65 applications for three positions, 221A hopes this year’s intake will allow a smaller pool of nominees stronger chances. This change aims to engage artists who may not usually answer open calls due to application barriers of unpaid time and labour.
Nominators were suggested by 221A staff, from which senior management chose the final 11 based on the following priorities:
- knowledge of contemporary art;
- knowledge of 221A’s three research areas, as listed below;
- Indigenous, Black, and racialized representation;
- representation from 2SLGBTQIA+, gender diverse, and disability arts;
- a range in career stages and organization sizes;
- established relationships with local BC arts and artist communities.
221A thanks the following nominators for contributing their knowledge of the field and putting forward artists for the 2027-28 Fellowship cohort:
- Elham Puriya Mehr, Independent Curator, Vancouver
- Elliott Ramsey, Curator, The Polygon Gallery, Vancouver
- Iris Houngbo, Artist, Art Curator, Musician, and Founder & Creative Director, Unity Arts Collective, Vancouver
- Jenn Jackson, Director and Curator, Or Gallery, Vancouver
- Jesse Birch, Artistic Director and Curator, Nanaimo Art Gallery, Nanaimo
- John Mahli Lawa’ Hampton, Director and CEO, WAG-Qaumajuq, Winnipeg
- Jordan Strom, Curator of Exhibitions and Collections, Surrey Art Gallery, Surrey
- Loretta Todd, Filmmaker, Writer, and Founder and Creative Director, IM4 Lab, Vancouver
- Michelle Jacques, Chief Curator and Director of Programs, Remai Modern, Saskatoon
- Moroti George, Director and Curator, Gallery Gachet, Vancouver
- Shanna Cheng, Independent Curator and Artist, Coquitlam
Each nominator will put forward three artists. An external selection committee will select nine shortlisted artists, who will be featured in a short video series in early 2027, instead of a shortlist exhibition.
Three finalists will be selected as the 2027-28 Fellows. Fellows will be invited to connect their practices with 221A’s research and development initiatives. These areas of social, cultural, and ecological infrastructure include:
- The Cultural Land Trust: a community-ownership model for cultural space in the city;
- Public AI Infrastructure: research on data sovereignty and how AI enters civic systems; and
- SEARA (Sector Equity for Anti-Racism in the Arts): research in racial equity across BC’s arts sector to inform policy and systemic change.
The Fellowship program at 221A is generously supported by the Audain Foundation.
Subscribe to 221A’s newsletter and follow 221A on Instagram (@221aweee) for updates as the new cohort takes shape. For more information, visit our Fellowship FAQ page.
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