Opportunities

Application Deadline: Sunday, November 9, 11:59pm ET 

The Van Lier Fellowship is a New York-based program that supports early-career artists in theater, music, and visual arts to advance their careers through financial stipends, mentorship, and professional development. The fellowship aims to help talented artists establish themselves in the professional arts community. Funding comes from the Edward and Sally Van Lier Fund through the New York Community Trust, which carries out the legacy of Edward and Sally Van Lier to support opportunities for young persons who aspire to a career in the arts.  

The 2026 Van Lier Fellowship opportunity at Wave Hill is a one-year program awarded to two New York City-based visual artists, who are aged 30 years or younger and are not enrolled in a degree-granting program. The fellowship provides emerging artists from historically underrepresented communities with a residency, exhibition, and professional development and mentorship opportunities with Wave Hill curatorial staff, working artists, and arts professionals over the course of the program January – December 2026. 

Each Fellow receives a $10,435 stipend, which includes an $8,000 honorarium, studio, transportation stipend for the residency, and professional development opportunities as well as artist programs. Fellows will be provided a semi-private studio space during the Winter Workspace Program, and a solo site-specific exhibition as part of the Sunroom Project Space Program. The goal of the fellowship is to develop the skills and professional experience needed to establish a successful career path in the arts. 

Fellowship Features: 

• Participate in 7-week Winter Workspace program (Feb 24 - April 12, 2026);  
• Research, develop and present a solo exhibition project in the Sunroom or Sun Porch as part of the Sunroom Project Space Program (August – September 2026);
• Career mentorship; exhibition and professional development support; opportunity to observe the 2027 Van Lier Fellowship selection process;  
• Engage with the public through Winter Workspace programming and a Meet the Artist program as part of the Sunroom Project Space exhibition;
• An info session will be held virtually on Friday, Oct 24, 12-1 PM (Zoom). RSVP: visualarts@wavehill.org with “2026 Van Lier Info Session” in the subject heading.

Fellowship Eligibility: 

Applicants must be emerging artists 30 years of age or younger (born 1996 or after); from historically underrepresented communities; live in one of the five boroughs of New York City; demonstrate financial need; have completed college and are not enrolled in a degree-granting program at the time of the residency; demonstrate artistic and career potential; are not represented by a commercial gallery; are available to participate in both the Winter Workspace and Sunroom Project Space programs; and cannot have been a Van Lier Fellow with another organization.  

Required application materials via SlideRoom  

• A brief artist statement;
• Current CV, including education, exhibition history, awards, grants, residencies, and reviews or writings about your work;
• Up to 10 image samples of recent work in jpeg or tiff format: Images (up to 5 MB), Video (up to 250 MB), Audio (up to 30 MB), PDFs (up to 10 MB), Models (Sketchfab), links from YouTube, Vimeo and SoundCloud;
• You may substitute up to 2 video or audio clips (or links) for 2 of the 10 work samples. These should be no longer than 2 minutes each.   
• Descriptions of each image including title, date, media, dimensions, location (if site-specific), and a brief description;    
• References: name, title and contact details for at least one professional reference who can speak to your work and how the Fellowship would benefit your career goals. 
   

Key Dates: 

Friday, October 24, 12pm: Information Session (Virtual)  
Sunday, November 9, 11:59pm: Application Deadline 
Week  of November 17: Interviews 
Week of November 24: Notifications 
Saturday, December 13: Orientation at Wave Hill 

Questions? Email: visualarts@wavehill.org 

Application Deadline: December 31, 2025

Visual artists may submit work to be considered for exhibition opportunities at Wave Hill from 2026-2027. Wave Hill arts curators review submissions and contact all artists within three months after the deadline. 

GLYNDOR GALLERY: Thematic group exhibitions are curated in Wave Hill’s Glyndor Gallery each year and may include new works created for the exhibition and/or existing artworks that are on loan. Glyndor Gallery consists of three adjacent rooms and ancillary spaces on the ground floor of the Georgian Revival house. Exhibitions generally combine painting, sculpture, works on paper, installation, photography, and some video; rooms are flexible with excellent natural light. Wave Hill Arts is interested in conceptually rigorous works that challenge traditional hierarchical relationships to nature, as well as works that engage with the culture and histories of the Bronx and the site of Wave Hill. Themes that we are considering for future exhibitions include projects that pertain to Wave Hill’s Herb Garden and the medicinal properties of herbal plants, as well as an exhibition topic that contemplates gardens as religious symbols and sacred spaces for syncretic spiritual practices. 

WAVE HILL HOUSE: Exhibitions in the historic Wave Hill House present two-dimensional works that engage with themes related to nature for a period of four to six months. Small group or solo exhibitions of painting, photography and works on paper are exhibited in the café, tearoom and/or reception areas of the busiest building at Wave Hill. Themes we are considering for future exhibitions in Wave Hill House include abstract photographic works that visualize sounds, connecting to a particular place. 

WINTER WORKSPACE PROGRAM: From January to April, Glyndor Gallery is transformed into studio workspaces for artists who participate in six- or seven-week sessions through a nomination process that includes artists who submit their interest through General Opportunities. We encourage artists who are interested in observing Wave Hill's plant collection, researching its history, and responding to our site to apply. Winter Workspace residents are provided a workspace (not a living space) with access during regular hours of operation, a financial stipend, project and professional development support, and the opportunity to share their practice with the public through open studios and public programs. In addition, Wave Hill curatorial staff organizes studio visits with arts professionals, including gallerists, curators, and writers.

Applications are now closed. The Open Call for the 2027 Sunroom Project Space will go live in spring 2026.

Wave Hill has a rich tradition of performing arts both indoors and outside.

Click here for past seasons of indoor and outdoor concert series. Listen to playlists and experience more past performances here. Artists with projects that address the natural world are welcome to submit proposals for future consideration. Due to the high number of submissions that we receive, we will only respond to those artists whose work suits the programs that are being planned. All unsolicited performing arts proposals must be sent through our submissions form here.