A.I.R. FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
The A.I.R. Fellowship Program for Emerging Artists was established in 1993 by former artist member Stephanie Bernheim in order to support emerging and underrepresented women and non-binary artists in New York City. Each year, six artists are awarded a year-long fellowship to develop and exhibit a project at A.I.R. Gallery.
The A.I.R. Fellowship Program has awarded more than 120 artists the opportunity to have their first solo exhibition in New York City with the support of the A.I.R. community. The program encourages artistic experimentation and rigor by providing a space where feminist historical legacy and intergenerational dialogue are at the forefront. Essential to this process are a series of professional development workshops, close collaboration with an A.I.R. artist-mentor, and scheduled studio visits throughout the year, including one with a selection panelist.
Previous selection panelists have included: Rina Baneerjee, Joeonna Bellorado-Samuels, Phong Bui, Dan Cameron, Anaïs Duplan, Amber Esseiva, Nicole Fleetwood, Lia Gangitano, Stamatina Gregory, Marcela Guerrero, Gordon Hall, Leslie Hewitt, Matthew Higgs, Rujeko Hockley, Ruba Katrib, Baseera Khan, Christine Kim, Michelle Kuo, Florence Lynch, Piper Marshall, Catherine Morris, Lisa Oppenheim, Faith Ringgold, Lumi Tan, Andrea Scott, Xaviera Simmons, Sam Vernon, and Xiaoyu Weng.
Since 2009, A.I.R. Gallery has named one yearly A.I.R. Fellowship seat in memory of the artist, activist, writer, and feminist Emma Bee Bernstein (1985–2008). In recognition of Emma’s significant contributions as a young artist, the youngest A.I.R. Fellowship recipient receives the honor of holding the Emma Bee Bernstein Fellowship seat.
A.I.R. will open the call for applications for the 2025–2026 Fellowship in August 2024.
2023–2024 A.I.R. Fellowship Artists
2024–2025 A.I.R. Fellowship Artists
Recent Fellowship Exhibitions
The A.I.R. Fellowship Program is made possible by public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, as well as the generous support of the Bernheim Foundation, the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the O’Grady Foundation, the Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, Materials for the Arts, Two Trees, and individual donors to the Emma Bee Bernstein Fellowship Fund.
