About the Fellowships
Conceived during VCCA’s 50th anniversary year in 2021 and established in 2022, the 50th Anniversary Fund provides free first-time VCCA residencies for selected artists of color. VCCA awarded 108 50th Anniversary Fellowships in the first two years of the program. As an ongoing initiative, VCCA will continue to provide as many 50th Anniversary Fellowships as fundraising support for the 50th Anniversary Fund allows each fiscal year.
Each 50th Anniversary Fellow receives a free residency of up to two weeks at Mt. San Angelo, VCCA’s artist residency program in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. All VCCA residencies include a private studio, a private bedroom with en-suite bath, three prepared meals each day, and access to a community of more than 20 other artists in residence.
Application Details
Eligibility: Artists of color (writers, visual artists, and composers) who have not previously been in residence at VCCA
Length of Fellowship: Up to two weeks with flexible scheduling
Application Fee*: $30
Next available for:
- Summer 2025
Residencies Available: May 1 – August 31, 2025
Application Deadline: September 15, 2024
Notification by: December 31, 2024
To be considered as a 50th Anniversary Fellow, complete the “Application for Mt. San Angelo Residencies, VCCA in Virginia,” selecting your fellowship interest in Question 2.
* If the application fee presents a significant barrier to application, please write to vcca@vcca.com by September 10, 2024, to request an application fee waiver.
VCCA intends the term artist of color to broadly include those creating original work in a wide variety of literary, visual art, and/or musical/sound disciplines who self-identify as part of one or more of these U.S. census groups: American Indian or Alaskan Native; Asian; Black or African American; Hispanic or Latinx; Middle Eastern or North African; Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander; Multi-Racial. If you have a question about whether VCCA’s studio spaces would be suitable to the nature of your creative work, please write to Artists Services at vcca@vcca.com in advance of the deadline.
Applicants must submit an online application by the deadline, complete with recent work samples, a project description, and a variety of biographical and logistical details. VCCA no longer requires letters of recommendation. Applicants will be considered for a VCCA residency and as many funding opportunities for which they are eligible.
Featured Testimonials
“First and foremost, I would like to commend the VCCA for providing an outstanding studio and space for me to work in, allowing me to fully immerse myself in my artistic practice. The support and community within the VCCA were truly uplifting and have left a lasting impact on me as an artist.” ABED ELMAJID SHALABI
There Was a Cafe at The Crossroads Custom Made Diamond Grade Reflective Aluminum Sign. Steel. 48 x 36 x 2 inches each. 2023.
“The environment is beautiful, fragrant flowers and lofty trees along the paths, the air filled with birdsong — a truly wonderful place to work and be inspired to higher creativity in a community of other artists. I worked on new music and formed new friendships that I know will last a lifetime!” CAROLYN YARNELL
Photo and music by Carolyn Yarnell
“I loved my time at VCCA! The 50th Anniversary Fellowship afforded me the opportunity to generate my second novel among other creatives in a beautiful landscape.”
Photo by Ami Sands Brodoff