Young Space, no.89
Do it more—and more defiantly.
"I was considered a mother and a wife, married to an artist who was more prominent, and so whatever I did didn’t get a lot of recognition. That made me want to do it more—and more defiantly. I just thought, ‘Bugger this!’ It was an impetus."
—Rose Wylie
I was intrigued by an article published a couple of weeks ago in The Gothamist by Hannah Frishberg, “NYC art schools see record-high application numbers as Gen Zers clamber to enroll,” and was even more intrigued by the lede:
The surge comes as many young adults grapple with fears about the impacts of artificial intelligence, a sense of internet overload and a desire to reconnect with the physical world.
With this, I kind of mentally transported myself back to the time when I was trying (in vain) to assemble a good portfolio and apply to art schools straight out of high school. Incidentally, administrative budget cuts sent almost my entire senior year class schedule out the window. Rather than advanced drawing and painting classes, which I was banking on to help me assemble said portfolio, my final semesters were clumsily filled with other topics like Intro to Ecology, Anthropology, and Feminist Literature. (Anthropology, incidentally, was awesome, especially the unit on Kiowa culture during which we handmade our own traditional prairie-style moccasins to understand the labor that went into the process—and then we had cool shoes for graduation.)
In some ways, my high school was kind of progressive in its offerings, as I don’t think most high schools dedicate entire learning quarters to horror lit or plan 10-day canoe trips to Canada. Be that as it may, the art department was pretty much sliced in half. Incidentally, I didn’t get into art school.
I can’t totally blame the system. I could have easily requested that one of my art teachers, with whom I received great mentorship, help me figure out how to put together a proper portfolio. But in reality, I was more interested in just getting as geographically far away as possible from the town I grew up in. I ended up going out to Humboldt State University—now Cal Poly Humboldt—in Northern California for one eye-opening, culture-shocking, beautifully maniacal freshman semester in an art department that, while also very small and not super well-funded, is still a time I look back on as pivotal in how my understanding of art, my career, and their relationship to life more broadly evolved.
At the time, it took literally an afternoon to download a video on the internet. Facebook was yet to be created. The school’s firewall kept blocking my attempts to have really grainy webcam chats with my mom back home in Wisconsin. Even then, I wanted to feel a part of something authentic, different, creative, weird. And that was well before AI tools and YouTube and doomscrolling and general information overload.
I feel for incoming students who see art school as an opportunity to reconnect in a genuine, thoughtful way to what it means to ideate, make, and showcase things that come from our actual brains—and to commune with others who crave the same. The problematic thing is how to fund it these days. Student loans are hairy (it gives me massive anxiety when I think about my outstanding student debt in the hands of this administration). And art schools—all universities, really—just get more and more exorbitant. And yet public education has never been more important. Another blurb from Frishberg:
Education experts said it’s particularly surprising to see an uptick in arts programs, since uncertain economic times are typically correlated with more students choosing pre-professional tracks, like law or medicine, that are perceived to be safer investments. But at a time when AI threatens many workers' job security, the arts may have a leg up on more traditional career tracks because they can offer a comforting, human sense of purpose.
Hear, hear.
See you next week.
—Kate
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What you’ll find below:
Exhibitions to see in Amsterdam, Detroit, London, Los Angeles, New York City, Paris, Portland (OR), and Toronto
Twelve opportunities for artists with deadlines coming up soon
Exhibitions
LONDON | CECILIA BRUNSON PROJECTS
Claudia Alarcón & Silät: Choreography of the Imagination
Choreography of the Imagination features hand-woven, hand-spun textiles made from the fibers of the chaguar plant, “a material and practice deeply rooted in the culture of the Wichí people of the Argentinian Gran Chaco.” This exhibition coincides with the Indigenous collective’s first institutional solo show, Tayhin, at the De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea, which continues through September 14.
Runs through July 25
LOS ANGELES | NONAKA-HILL
Kaoru Ueda
Ueda’s photorealistic oil paintings master light, reflection, and texture to “estrange,” as the gallery says, everyday objects like cutlery and food.
Runs through July 26
PARIS | ALMINE RECH
Jess Valice: Home Is Not a Place
“(Valice’s) work grapples with this duality, reflecting on the yearning for a safe haven alongside the potential for even familiar places to become imbued with unease in the face of loss and change.”
Runs through July 26
More Exhibitions Worth a Peek
1985 - 2025 at Galerie Fons Welters, Amsterdam, through July 25
Theodora Allen: Oak at Kasmin, New York City, through July 25
Jean-François Lauda: Some exceeding twelve minutes at Daniel Faria Gallery, Toronto, through July 26
LaKela Brown + Mario Moore: Beneath Our Feet at Library Street Collective, Detroit, through July 30
Gabriel Rico: A Finger Pointing to the Moon at Perrotin, New York City, through August 1
Marina Grize: In-Between Touch at Adams and Ollman, Portland (OR), through August 2
Artist Opportunities
Young Space emphasizes fully-funded opportunities with low or no entry fees and programs that focus on creative and professional development for visual artists and curators. Deadlines are coming up soon to apply for these grants, fellowships, residencies, and more.
Paid subscribers, check out the whole list anytime at yngspc.com/opportunities and enter the password you received in your signup email. Can’t find it? Just shoot me a note. Thank your for your support!
Kala Art Institute Artist-in-Residence Program
Deadline: July 26
Kala offers subsidized residencies through the Artist Residency (AIR) Program and (Fully funded residencies through the Fellowship program have a February deadline.) The Veterans Artist Residency, Jen Cole Artist Residency Award, and CCA Hamaguchi Artist Residency are all part of the same July application.
Kala’s artist-in-residence programs offer 24-hour access to the printmaking workshop, digital lab, black and white darkroom, sculpture and textiles lab, individual storage space, access to Kala’s gallery with potential exhibition opportunities, professional development resources including classes, and participation in a vital, international artist community. Project spaces and housing are available for artists coming from outside the San Francisco Bay Area.
Submission fee: $15
Gasworks Residency Open Call for a Lebanese Artist Based in Lebanon
Deadline: July 28
This residency open call is for an early-career artist based in Lebanon. The eleven-week, fully funded residency will take place at Gasworks in London from October 6 to December 22, 2025.
Submission fee: none
Giancarlo DiTrapano Foundation for Literature & the Arts Fall 2025 Residencies
Deadline: July 31
Giancarlo DiTrapano Foundation residencies are open to writers, translators, musicians, artists (working in all mediums), actors, directors, dancers, etc., from around the world—anyone who is looking for uninterrupted time to create new creative work. All residencies are fully funded, which means the organization pays for airfare and full room and board at their 17th-century villa and cultural center in Sezze Romano, Italy. Residencies are two weeks.
Submission fee: $20.50
The Nicholas Dahl Visiting Artist Scholarship @ PAAM
Deadline: July 31
Created to honor the life of Nicholas Dahl, the scholarship aims to foster creative connections and opportunities in Provincetown. The scholarship will fund a one-week creative experience in Provincetown during the “off-season” (November-April), including lodging, a workshop at PAAM and associated materials, use of a PAAM studio, a PAAM Membership, and the opportunity to visit the Fine Arts Work Center, the National Seashore, and artist and writer studios. The scholarship is offered to LGBTQIA+ individuals 30 years of age and under who demonstrate a passion for the arts in the form of writing, poetry, painting, theater, music or other artistic mediums.
Submission fee: none
Zion National Park Artist-in-Residence
Deadline: August 1
The Artist in Residence program invites professional writers, composers, and all visual artists to pursue their particular art form while surrounded by the inspiring landscape of the park. Resident artists spend 30 days living in a historic cabin in Zion National Park. They explore and surround themselves with the sights, sounds, textures, and wonders of Zion to find inspiration for their work. Each artist conducts two public presentations which are advertised by rangers at the Visitor Center and park information boards.
Submission fee: $20
Seattle Art Museum Betty Bowen Award for Northwest Artists
Deadline: August 1
Administered by the Seattle Art Museum, the annual Betty Bowen Award honors a Northwest artist for their original, exceptional, and compelling work. The winner is awarded an unrestricted cash prize of $20,000, and a selection of their works is shown at the Seattle Art Museum. In addition, up to two Special Recognition Awards in the amount of $4,000 and three Special Commendation Awards in the amount of $2,500 are often granted at the discretion of the Betty Bowen Committee.
Submission fee: $10
Wave Hill Call for 2026 Proposals for Sunroom Project Space
Deadline: August 3
The Sunroom Project Space offers artists in the New York City area and in the early stages of their careers—regardless of age—a chance to create and showcase a site-specific, solo project in the Sunroom or Sun Porch of Glyndor Gallery. Wave Hill invites proposals for artist projects that thoughtfully respond to and engage with the site—its plant collections, history, design, and architecture—with a focus on the interconnected relationships between nature, culture, and the Bronx. Four to six artists will be selected for solo presentations. Artists will receive an honorarium of $2,000 each, exhibition and professional development support, and will have six to twelve months to research and develop their ideas.
Submission fee: none
Bemis Center 2026 Artist-in-Residence Program (Autumn)
Deadline: August 4
The Bemis residency is a process-based experience–residents have the ability to research, experiment, and explore free from expectations. Bemis residents enjoy generous sized, private live/work studios and have 24-hour access to extensive installation and production spaces; the Okada Sculpture & Ceramics Facility, a 9,000 square foot industrial workshop used for large-scale sculpture fabrication; and a Sound Studio for rehearsing and recording. Selected U.S.-based artists-in-residence receive a $1,250 monthly stipend and an additional $750 travel stipend.
Submission fee: $40
Villa Barr Sculpture Residency in Novi, Michigan
Deadline: August 6
Villa Barr is located on four acres of landscaped grounds in the countryside outside of Detroit, Michigan. This property was sculptor David Barr’s dream house and studio, and residents enjoy access to a private studio equipped with wood and metal working tools. Visiting artists also enjoy the use of the beautiful architect-designed home. Two artists are accepted for each of three sessions in spring, summer, and fall. One visiting artist resides in the home, and a local artist has access to the studio. Each artist is provided with a private studio space in addition to the main shared studio. Residents are each awarded a $500 materials stipend. Visiting artists are also awarded a $500 travel stipend.
Submission fee: $20
Hornsby Art Prize 2025
Deadline: August 7
Established in 2009, the Hornsby Art Prize is organized and sponsored by Hornsby Shire Council and delivered in partnership with the Hornsby Art Society. The non-acquisitive prize celebrates Australian contemporary art and is open to all Australian residents aged 18 years and over. Categories include painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, and sculpture. There is an overall prize pool value of $23,000, with the major prize $10,000 and the Hornsby Shire Local Artist Award $5,000. The Hornsby Art Prize Finalists’ Exhibition will be held at Wallarobba Arts and Cultural Centre, Hornsby.
Submission fee: AUD$40 per piece (max. 2)
Japan Foundation (Los Angeles) Mini Grants
Deadline: Rolling
This grant aims to support projects that will enhance further understanding of Japanese arts and culture. Successful candidates may be granted up to $5,000. The Japan Foundation Los Angeles handles Arts and Culture grants for the 13 states west of the Rocky Mountains. These include Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Applications should be made at least two months before the proposed project.
Submission fee: none
National Lottery Project Grants for U.K. Artists
Deadline: Rolling
National Lottery Project Grants is always open for project grants between £1,000 and £100,000.
Submission fee: none
See all opportunities
Paid subscribers can access a full list of all current opportunities anytime—updated at least a couple of times each week.
Whether you’re a free or paid subscriber, you can also browse through listings in earlier digests in the archive.
If you are part of an organization or art business that offers opportunities or services you think artists should know about, consider a featured listing or post. Email me at kate@young-space.com or just reply to this email for more info.
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