Apply for the Eckelberry Fellowship

The Don and Virginia Eckelberry Endowment for nature artists was established in 2000 to honor two distinguished artists who devoted their careers to celebrating the diversity of the natural world through art. The Eckelberry’s legacy endures through the superb quality of their own creations and through their lifelong commitment to helping others pursuing careers in this vital field.

Goals of the Endowment

The primary goal of the endowment is to provide fellowships to artists whose work will be enhanced by first-hand experiences in the field. In addition to expanding primary exposure to nature and opportunities for artistic growth, it is important that whatever is proposed leads to a specific outcome. This might be an exhibition, a publication, or some educational or conservation-oriented project involving the natural world. The application should explain how the fellowship will advance the applicant’s skills and career as an artist for nature.

Application Submittal

The applicant should provide a proposal for a project with a tangible end product that is supported by a third-party institution such as a gallery, school, publisher, national or regional park or museum.

Expectations of the Awarded Fellow

Eckelberry fellowships are open to visual artists worldwide whose work focuses on nature, whether as the subject or as part of the environment. At this time we do not accept photography, film or audio works. The fellowship award is typically between $3000 and $5,000, with one award made annually. The Selection Committee requests a written and visual report from the fellow upon completion of his/her project; otherwise, the grant is unrestricted.

Application Package:

Please title each document with your full name and the component of the application as listed below:

1. A letter of intent (No more than 500 words.) which includes:
1. Introduction: about you and your work as an artist.
2. What are your strengths, weaknesses, and goals as an artist?
3. What is the project you envision, its budget and timeline, and how will fellowship funds be used?
4. How will the fellowship advance your artistic aspirations and goals?
5. How will you evaluate your project once completed?
2. A current curriculum vitae.
3. PDFs or Jpegs representing a sampling of your work (Please send samples in a single pdf file labeled with your name and 'artist samples' and not exceeding 20MB in total size.)

Submission documents must be in Word or PDF. Please send us your application with a link to either a Dropbox or Google Drive folder. Confirm with your application to RMP89@drexel.edu with your full name and "Eckelberry Fellowship Application" in the subject heading.

The deadline for applications is October 31, 2023.