Amplify Arts 2027 Fellowship Open Call

About this call

Amplify Arts' Fellowship champions artists working outside conventional art spaces to investigate the layered civic histories, cultural traditions and living ecologies that shape the Omaha region. It is designed to support site-responsive installations, book and publishing projects, films, performances and other publicly engaged project-based work, and it provides $10,000 in project support along with individualized mentorship and critical feedback in a small cohort. For the 2027 cycle, preference goes to projects that engage the theme of Migration, exploring how movement shapes communities, environments and collective futures. Amplify frames migration not only as the movement of people but also as the circulation of ideas, languages, labor, waterways, seeds, species, capital and culture, noting that Omaha sits along the Missouri River and within the Central Flyway. Projects that invite public participation are especially encouraged. The fellowship runs for one year, beginning in January 2027 and ending in January 2028, and fellows are expected to take part in all regularly scheduled cohort meetings. Applications are reviewed in four phases: a staff eligibility and completeness check, scoring by a panel of arts professionals, panel recommendation of up to five applicants for interview, and interviews leading to the selection of up to three fellows. Amplify runs a virtual information session and two sets of virtual office hours during the open call, and the application is available in written and read aloud form in both English and Spanish.

Who can apply

• Regional applicants
• Medium: Installation / Performance / Video / New Media / Writing / Mixed Media
• Entry fee: See official site
• Any artist, artist collective or collaborative group maintaining a residence within the Omaha and Council Bluffs Metro Area is eligible, which covers Washington, Douglas, Cass, Sarpy and Saunders counties in Nebraska and Pottawattamie, Mills and Harrison counties in Iowa. Applicants must be at least 19 years old and submit a complete application. A formal education is not required to apply, and collectives and collaborative groups with a significant history of working together are also eligible. The application is submitted through Submittable and has five components: an Artist Statement describing the practice and the ideas driving it, a Project Description explaining the project and how it will be realized during the fellowship year, a Project Budget outlining costs, a Work Sample of recent and past work, and a Works Cited page giving more information about the works in the sample. Applications are evaluated on whether the project is public facing and speaks to the theme of Migration, whether it can be fully realized on the $10,000 budget, whether the work sample demonstrates an active practice and a history of thoughtful compelling work, and whether the application overall sparks interest in learning more. No application fee is mentioned anywhere in the open call or its FAQ.