Apply Now: 2024 Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program San Antonio, TX

The deadline to apply to this competitive San Antonio-based program is Wednesday, July 31, 11:59 PM CT.
 

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Are you an immigrant artist living and/or working in the San Antonio area? Are you looking to build a community and learn tools that will advance your arts career? If yes, consider joining New York Foundation for the Arts’ (NYFA) growing immigrant artist community and apply to be part of the Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program. 

With the support of San Antonio Area Foundation, NYFA is honored to return to San Antonio with the Program. The program was previously conducted in 2018 and 2019 in collaboration with San Antonio local partners, with both cohorts exhibiting work at Centro de Artes after their respective programs concluded. 

For this year's program, we are grateful for the support of University of Texas San Antonio’s Russell Hill Rogers Galleries, which will feature visual and performing works by mentors and mentees in a Fall 2025 exhibition.

This competitive program is open to artists from all disciplines (performing, literary, visual, multi-disciplinary, video/film, folk and traditional arts, socially engaged practices, and beyond). Accepted participants will receive a modest stipend and have the opportunity to participate in the aforementioned exhibition in Fall 2025. The will run from September 2024 to January 2025, and the application deadline is Wednesday, July 31, 2024, 11:59 PM CT.
 

Program Goals 

• Provide one-on-one support. The program pairs immigrant artists with artist mentors who guide them to achieve specific goals and provide them with broader access to the U.S. cultural world through an exchange of ideas, resources, and experiences.
• Build a community. The program fosters a local community of artists, offering opportunities for participants to connect and share resources with other immigrant artists, arts professionals, organizations, and program alumni from 2007 to the present, through group meetings and peer learning. 

Through fostering an inclusive safe space and building a community of artists, the program offers immigrant artists the opportunity to focus on their career goals while navigating the shared experiences and challenges of being an immigrant artist.

Program Benefits

• 1-on-1 mentorship 
• Professional development workshops that provide artists with the fundamental principles of sustainability in the arts (previous topics: cultivating relationships with curators, strategic planning, finance, marketing, and fundraising, etc.)
• Opportunity to be selected to exhibit your work in University of Texas San Antonio’s Russell Hill Rogers Galleries in Fall 2025.  
• Networking opportunities with the program cohort, IAP Mentoring Program alumni, arts professionals, and staff members from various arts organizations, including our Cultural Partners in the San Antonio area and beyond.
• A modest stipend of $200 to support participating in the program. 

Cultural Partners

University of Texas, San Antonio (UTSA), Centro Cultural Aztlan, The Contemporary at Blue Star

Eligibility

• Artists working in all disciplines who live within the San Antonio area (within commuting distance of San Antonio). Priority will be given to artists living and working in San Antonio; however the program is open to artists in Texas within commuting distance of San Antonio.
• Able to attend mandatory in-person meetings in the San Antonio area.
• Artists born outside of the U.S. or in the U.S. territories (Puerto Rico or Guam, The U.S. Virgin Islands), or artists whose parents/caregivers were born outside of the U.S./U.S. territories (1st generation immigrants) may apply. *
• Have been pursuing a career as an artist within the range of 1-10 years in the United States.**
• Are NOT currently enrolled in an arts graduate or undergraduate degree program. Students who will graduate before the program starts are welcome to apply.

* If you have a unique immigrant experience that doesn’t meet the stated eligibility and feel you would benefit from this program, please reach out to i.outreach@nyfa.org with some information on your immigrant story. Refugees/asylum seekers are welcomed to apply.

** This program often benefits those who are at more emerging stages in their U.S. careers. If you’ve been pursuing a career as an artist in the U.S. for more than 10 years and feel you would benefit from this program, please reach out to i.outreach@nyfa.org with some information on your immigrant experience.

Guidelines

For the application, we ask you to provide:

• Your short and long term goals and why you are interested in applying to this program
• Any challenges you are facing in your artistic practice, including your immigrant experience, and how you would like to work with a mentor to seek solutions
• A narrative bio of your professional career
• A link to your online presence (e.g. website or social media etc.)
• Work samples

Mandatory Program Meeting Dates

In collaboration with San Antonio-based partners, the program will have 2 weekend intensive workshops, 1 mid-program informal gathering between the intensive weekends, and 1-on-1 mentoring support throughout the program. 

First Weekend Intensive (in-person)

• Saturday, September 21, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
• Sunday, September 22, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Mid-Program Check-in & Gathering (in-person)

• Wednesday, November 20, 4:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Final Weekend Intensive (in-person)

• Saturday, January 25, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
• Sunday, January 26, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM 

1-on-1 mentoring support

• Dates arranged with individual mentors. Meetings could be in-person and/or online. 

In-person programs will be implemented in accordance with local and state health guidelines. Meeting locations will all be based in the San Antonio Metropolitan Area. The program will be moved online, if necessary.

Attendance is mandatory for all sessions, so please check your calendar before applying.

Questions? Contact the IAP Team at i.outreach@nyfa.org. 

Selection Process

The selection process has several phases:

    1. With the support of local cultural partners, NYFA will identify established professional artists from a variety of disciplines—whose backgrounds reflect the applicant pool—to serve as mentors.

2. Mentors will review mentee applications focusing on the applicants’ artistic vision, resources they are looking for, and career goals. The mentors’ ability to offer the necessary resources and information that the applicant is seeking is taken into consideration.

3. NYFA will participate in the process of identifying the pool of mentees, considering the cohort makeup as a whole while aligning mutually beneficial pairings of mentors and mentees.
 

How to Apply

Application Link: Click here to review the application guidelines and to apply via Submittable. First-time users will need to register with Submittable to access the application portal.

Application Deadline: Wednesday, July 31, 11:59 PM CT

Notifications: By End of August 

To request an accommodation or assistance in applying, please email i.outreach@nyfa.org or contact 212-366-6900 Ext 265. We ask that requests for accommodation be made as soon as possible or by Wednesday, July 24, to allow adequate time for staff to support you in submitting an application before the deadline.

Questions? Contact the IAP Team at i.outreach@nyfa.org and include “San Antonio” in the subject line.
 

Testimonials

“I appreciated how NYFA tailored the program to our particular needs and situations. The program helped us gain perspective, exchange and share experiences, and create strategies to develop our careers. My mentor helped me look at my practice and approach in a new way, and gave me a lot of practical advice for achieving my goals.“ – Jose Balli (IAP: San Antonio ‘18)

“NYFA IAP has changed my life as an artist in the USA. I am ever grateful to the NYFA IAP people who supported us in every way possible, which paved our path for a better future.” – Bipasha Hayat (IAP: Visual and Multidisciplinary Artist NYC ‘23)

“Participating in this program has been a transformative experience for me. As someone who always dreamed of being an artist, this program has opened my eyes to the realities of pursuing a career in art. It's shown me that while the journey may be challenging, it's not impossible, especially when fueled by passion. Through the program, I've gained confidence in my artistic abilities and learned to value my work as an important contribution to the world. It's helped me break free from cultural norms that undermine the significance of art, empowering me to embrace my identity as an artist with pride. I'm incredibly grateful for the support and guidance I've received, and I'm excited to continue my artistic journey with determination and purpose.” – Hadeel Saalok (IAP: Visual and Multidisciplinary Artist NYC ‘24)

Acknowledgement

Our thanks to University of Texas, San Antonio (UTSA), Centro Cultural Aztlan, Contemporary at Blue Star  for hosting our group meetings. 

NYFA’s 2024 Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program: San Antonio is made possible by the generous support of the San Antonio Area Foundation.

Our thanks to Luis Valderas, NYFA Board Member, and Kim Bishop for their continued support of this program.

Learn more about the Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program, and don’t forget to sign up for the monthly ConEdison IAP Newsletter to receive opportunities and events as well as artist features directly to your inbox.