MCKNIGHT FELLOWSHIPS for FIBER ARTISTS FAQ’s
- What is the age limit for the fellowships?
There is no age limit for the fellowships; this is not asked for as part of the juried part of the application process. As stated on the application, the only reason that we ask for your age in the optional section on demographics is to provide data for Textile Center to know who we are reaching through application outreach efforts.
- Who is eligible to apply, what is post-emerging, and what does my experience in the discipline of Fiber Art need to be?
Fiber Artists, as defined for the purposes of this fellowship, are artists who use textile and fiber arts materials, processes, histories, traditions, and/or sensibilities as their primary modality in their artistic and creative practice throughout the conception, execution, and resolution of their work.
Since all of these details are entwined, they are explained together:
- We sometimes use the phrase midcareer. We sometimes use the phrase post-emerging. We sometimes use the phrase beyond emerging. Language is nuanced, and we really want folks to just understand that these fellowships are not for early career practices or folks who are just beginning to be recognized for their artistic and creative voices.
- The intent of the McKnight Fellowships for Fiber Artists is to recognize talented Minnesota fiber and textile artists who have created a significant body of work over a period of at least 8 years. This is an eligibility requirement, and needs to be substantiated in the application through your list of accomplishments, resume, or CV, as having engaged with the public or with an audience in some regard, with your work.
- Again, the body of work you present in your application needs to support a sustained investigation and maturation of personal creativity, and accomplishment in and commitment to the field of fiber art and Minnesota’s arts ecosystem.
- These fellowships are in support of artists who have a creative practice that is beyond emerging, whose work is of exceptional artistic and cultural merit, and demonstrates exceptional proficiency, sustained practice, and commitment to the field. The operatives here are: exceptional, sustained, and committed to the field.
Here are other ways of explaining the same thing:
These fellowships are for mid-career and beyond. The requirement for the purposes of the McKnight Fellowships in Fiber Arts is to show at least eight (8) years of invested, creative practice, documented by a resume, CV, or list of accomplishments–that demonstrates commitment to active practice through activities such as recognition of your creative work through exhibitions, awards or honors, grants received, workshops and teaching, mentorship, publications, etc. We check this documentation when your application comes in to be sure you meet this qualification.
There is no time period for what post-emerging/midcareer and beyond means. McKnight Foundation and the Arts & Culture Program partners uphold the belief that these fellowships are intended to support Minnesota artists throughout their lifetimes, as long as they are past the stage of “emerging”. Artists and culture bearers who are awarded have built a body of work over a sustained period of time, have an established relationship with the art landscape, and have engaged with the Minnesota Arts ecosystem through some sort of public or community engagement–exhibition, teaching, sharing, ceremony, gifting, mentorship, presentations, service, etc..
There are no specific requirements as to calling yourself a fiber artist for eight years, as artists tend to use whatever means are most appropriate to communicate their message. However, your work does have to recognize and be committed to fiber art as the primary basis for your work. Applications need to show excellence, consistency, maturity, breadth, and depth in the field. And the awards are made for your body of work to date–the commitment to the field of Fiber Art must be evident in the application.
The Program Director is available to discuss this further. With as much assistance and clarification as we can give, it is up to each individual to decide on whether or not they want to or are ready to apply.
- What are the awards based on?
The awards are based on excellence in a sustained practice, as exemplified by the body of work you submit and your writing (or recorded speaking) about your work. There is NO proposal involved and the application does not include request for a budget. The award is not based on what you plan to do or what you think you are going to do. It is about what you have done so far and already accomplished in your practice.
- How does the jury process work?
The jury process is blind, at least until they meet you on Zoom if you become a finalist. Jurors focus on the images in the application and the accompanying statement about the work, along with an image list that you provide that includes the title, year, processes and materials for each work you include. They also refer to your list of accomplishments, CV, or resume to see your accomplishments thus far and how these might relate to your other application materials.
There is nowhere on the application where your identity is divulged to the jury, unless you include something about yourself in your statement. (You cannot mention your name anywhere in the application materials.) However, please note that as you write about yourself in the statement, what you say should connect to and provide context for your ideas and the work presented. The statement needs to relate to the work–especially the materials the jurors are looking at.
- What does the McKnight Foundation stand for and how does this impact the program?
Please take a look at what McKnight Foundation’s Arts and Culture program stands for, because that is the lens we use for our work with the jurors:
https://www.mcknight.org/programs/arts-culture/
The jurors are asked to look at all of the SAME links as you are, in the detailed application information, so they understand the agenda of the foundation and see everything that every applicant has access to. When they agree to jury, they agree to use a lens of equity, diversity, and inclusion. This is broad–nowhere in either Textile Center’s or McKnight’s materials is the interpretation of any of these three values predicated solely on race.
- What if I decide I don’t fit into the fiber art category?
If you feel your work is less specific to fiber art, and can’t talk about it in your statement from the context of the definition above, you can apply in the Visual Art category through MCAD, or one of the other McKnight Fellowship programs for the 2026 fellowships. All of our deadlines are different. Work done in higher education programs typically does not count toward the “beyond emerging” requirement of 8 years of practice, as it is seen as time that is supported by a cohort environment, research, professional and networking resources, mentorship, and often financial assistance—much like the funding and program benefits provided by these fellowships.
- All of the McKnight Artist Fellowships award categories and links to the specific program partners are available here:
https://www.mcknight.org/programs/arts-culture/the-mcknight-artist-fellowships/
The McKnight Fellowships for Fiber Artists program is funded by the McKnight Arts & Culture Program, and administered by Textile Center. For more complete information, please see: