Flourish Fellowship

Flourish Fellowship is sponsored by Flourish Fine Art Accelerator. The Flourish Fellowship is a competitive, yearlong program that supports emerging BIPOC artists and curators in Chicago through professional training, mentorship, and funding.

Fellowship | Empower Your Art Career Today — FLOURISH Empowering Chicago’s BIPOC Artists and Curators to Thrive The Flourish Art Accelerator is a 12-month, fellowship program supporting Chicago-based BIPOC visual artists and curators at pivotal stages in their careers. Rooted in equity and entrepreneurship, and community the program empowers preserving culture and identity.

Through programming rooted in professional development, business strategy, and creative collaboration, Flourish helps artists build sustainable careers and expand their impact across Chicago’s creative economy.

Up to $10,000 in project funding Mentorship in business , legal, media and financial strategy Partnerships with institutions like the DuSable Museum, MCA Chicago, EXPO Chicago and National Puerto Rican Museum Opportunities for public engagement through exhibitions, performances, and community activations. Residency: Must be based in Chicago, with priority given to artists and curators from South and West Side neighborhoods.

Eligibility: Emerging to mid-career visual artists or curators are eligible. BIPOC creatives are prioritized, but non-BIPOC applicants whose projects address cultural issues, community divisions, or underrepresented stories may be considered. Project Proposal: Submit a clear, community-facing project aligned with themes of cultural preservation, identity, and social justice.

Grant Application Information Grant Application Information • Flourish Fine Art Accelerator 2026 Program Overview Watch the 2026 Program Overview Video to Learn More About Flourish This video walks you through the application process, eligibility, and RFP requirements for artists and curators.

The Future of Fine Art Starts Here Meet the 2025 Flourish Fellows — a dynamic group of emerging, Chicago-based artists whose work challenges, uplifts, and redefines the future of fine art. Selected for their bold vision and creative excellence, these Fellows represent the next generation of cultural leaders shaping the art world from the ground up. The outdoors should be for everyone, but history hasn't always shown it that way.

Chicago Voyagers, an art exhibit funded with support from Flourish Art Accelerator, is helping to expand access to the outdoors for Chicago youth. Through this exhibit we hope to challenge and reimagine what exploration and adventure look like and who gets to be part of it.

Flourish fellow and Chicago-based artist Shaurya Kumar investigates how human societies construct meaning and identity in the absence of monuments and objects that once anchored their cultures. Kumar explores the transformation of artifacts when displaced from their original contexts, reflecting on the modern ruin. This three-part series explores climate change and inhabited non-places in Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, and its diaspora.

The project will feature an artistic residency with José Rosa. His work delves into concepts of queer magical realism, spotlighting a niche aspect of Puerto Rican culture, the training and riding of Paso Fino horses.

The exhibit will also feature Contaminados, an installation by Herminio Rodríguez, whose work features dozens of portraits of Puerto Ricans covered in ash, representing the environmental and health impacts caused by coal-burning.. Rediscovering & Reinventing our Collective Memory, a phased interactive public art project that will allow the public to contribute to a series of artworks through writing on the images.

Questions About the Fellowship? Whether you're an artist, curator, or community partner, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out with questions, ideas, or opportunities to collaborate—we’re here to support and grow Chicago’s creative future together.