As part of its mission, the Arts Council works with local foundations to support and nurture the careers of professional artists. In 2017, the Christel DeHaan Family Foundation (CDFF) and the Arts Council of Indianapolis (ACI) created and piloted a new juried artist grant/award program to provide quick turnaround project funding for professional artists in Indiana that promotes, celebrates, recognizes, and rewards excellence. The aim of the program is to recognize contemporary visual artists and support their exceptional projects.

The DeHaan Artist of Distinction Award Program will honor up to five contemporary visual artists with grants of up to $10,000 each year for aspirational visual arts projects. Each project must demonstrate an immediate need for the requested funds and be completed within the stated deadline. It is intended to allow a high-tolerance for risk and exploration and will provide support for an artist’s creative practice that will help her/him push their work in dynamic ways. Each artist will submit a final report at the end of the process and may be included in a final curated exhibition.

Applications are reviewed quarterly but are accepted on a rolling basis, and may be submitted at any time. All submissions are due by 4:30 pm on the quarterly deadline date. Applications received after 4:30 pm will be included in the next adjudication cycle. The 2019 deadlines for review are May 31, August 22, and November 29. Upon selection of the award recipient(s), those applications that were not successfully funded will be reopened so that applicants can make edits to their original application and re-submit for a future deadline.

Please note that all grant awards are subject to availability of funds for up to five contemporary artists each year.

For more information, please contact Rishard Allen at (317) 631-3301 or rallen@indyarts.org.

For more information, and to apply visit: https://indyarts.org/grants/grants-for-individuals/dehaan-artist-of-distinction-award