Praise Shadows Art Gallery and Boston Art Review are partnering to present the 2024 Emerging Boston Art Writing Fellowship. The program supports two individuals based in Boston ages 18–21 who are interested in expanding their knowledge of the city’s contemporary art community through hands-on experience writing reviews, artist interviews, and exhibition texts while deepening their understanding of the operations behind a commercial gallery. This fellowship is not a traditional internship, but rather a curriculum-based program with learning at the center.
This is a five-month commitment that will begin with a crash course in art writing led by the team at Boston Art Review. In this part of the program (February–March), individuals will partake in weekly workshops and field trips to cultivate their writing practices and relationships within Boston’s art community. At the end of this portion, each fellow will be paired with a mentor to formally pitch, develop, and complete a project that will be published on the Boston Art Review website in summer 2024.
For the second half of the program (April–May), fellows will step into paid part-time internships at Praise Shadows Art Gallery in Brookline’s Coolidge Corner. Here, they will learn the inner workings of a contemporary art gallery, including marketing and press release writing and engaging with the general public about the work on view.
In addition to workshops with local writers and arts leaders, fellows will participate in sessions with editors from Triple Canopy and Book Art Review (part of Center for Book Arts) and meet with an executive at Higher Ground (the Obamas’ media company), among many others.
The schedule and specificity of curriculum, including workshop topics and final deliverables, are subject to change based on the fellows’ availability and personal goals. Fellows will receive a $900 stipend from Boston Art Review upon completion of the program and hourly payment for hours worked with Praise Shadows.
Read about our 2023 fellows here.
Who Should Apply:
- This program is designed for young members of our community who are excited to gain hands-on experience at an art magazine and gallery, but who don’t necessarily know where to start. Individuals must be ages 18–21 and based in the Boston area.
- Must have transportation or be able to take public transportation to several Boston-area locations, including Praise Shadows Art Gallery in Brookline’s Coolidge Corner and BAR’s office at Boston Center for the Arts in the South End.
- February to March 2024: Must have availability for weekly workshops at the BAR office and/or on Zoom or for group field trips accessible by public transit.
- April to June 2024: Must have availability for part-time work at Praise Shadows Art Gallery and a final project with BAR.
- Must be interested in storytelling, content creation, art, and writing.
- Prior professional art writing or experience working in contemporary art is not necessary.
To Apply:
- Please upload a two-minute video introducing yourself with a brief statement on why you are interested in this position. If creating or sharing this content is not possible for you, please email submit@bostonartreview.com and we will come up with alternative ideas together.
- Submit a resume and brief cover letter introducing yourself and what you hope to learn from this fellowship.
- Submit a writing sample (could be personal writing or an assignment from a class and does not have to be about art).
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: February 3, 2024 at 11:59 PM EST
Decisions will be made without regard to race, gender identity, religion, ability, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the United States.
Key Dates:
Interviews will take place virtually on February 12 and 13. Decisions will be released on February 16, and the program will begin the week of February 26.
About Boston Art Review
Founded in October of 2017, Boston Art Review (BAR) is an independent publication committed to facilitating active discourse around contemporary art in Boston. BAR actively fosters the work of both emerging and established artists, writers, critics, curators, and scholars and is committed to uplifting the work of underrepresented individuals and communities. Boston Art Review provides a space for critical perspectives, interviews, reviews, artist projects, and collective initiatives. Through our website, newsletter, social media, events, and print publication, Boston Art Review stands as an accessible, go-to guide for contemporary art in Boston. Learn more about the team members who will be contributing to this program.
About Praise Shadows
Praise Shadows Art Gallery is a Boston-area art gallery founded in late 2020. It is a hybrid space emphasizing exhibitions by emerging and mid-career contemporary artists, a retail space for art books and lower-value works made by artists, and site for mentorship for young talent in the Greater Boston area.
Support
Boston Art Review is supported through the BAR Giving Circle. Programs like this are made possible with support from art_works, Boston Center for the Arts, Boston Cultural Council, the Wagner Foundation, and Mass Cultural Council. If you’re interested in learning more about how to support this program, please contact Jameson Johnson.