Artists have helped Miami become one of the most culturally vibrant cities in the United States. For longtime residents and first-time visitors alike, the visual arts are a central part of the Miami experience. We hope this grant program, which is offering up to $500,000 this year, will be a game changer both for our visual artists and our city, by providing working artists with the resources they need to do their best work.
Awards
The Ellies
The Ellies are offered in four categories to support Miami-Dade working and emerging artists, art educators, and established, professionally accomplished artists.
The Ellies Creator Awards
The Creator Awards support individual artists with grants of $2,500 to $25,000 to realize a significant visual arts project that will advance their careers. These projects should be bold ideas that speak to our community and our times. These awards are open to all Miami-Dade artists. A panel of arts leaders will select recipients from the applicant pool.
Apply
Applications are now closed
The Ellies Teacher Travel Grants
Teacher Travel Grants will provide K-12 art teachers with $5,000 in funds for travel that will ultimately enrich their classroom curriculum. By encouraging teachers to explore and share art experiences with their students, these grants will help create the audiences that our museums and arts organizations need to thrive. The opportunity is open to all Miami-Dade art teachers, grades K-12. A panel of arts leaders and educators will select the recipients.
Apply
Applications are now closed
The Michael Richards Award
The Michael Richards Award is a nomination based award, given to a Miami-Dade artist who has created a recognized body of original, high-quality works of art over a sustained period of time and who, through their practice, is achieving the highest levels of professional distinction in visual arts. This artist is someone who has established and sustained their practice in Miami and has given back to the community throughout their career in a variety of ways. The award will support the selected artist’s practice and creative growth through a stipend of $75,000 over a two-year period, and the opportunity to be commissioned by Oolite Arts in collaboration with The Bass, to create a work to be exhibited at the museum.
Michael Richards (1963 – 2001), to whom this award pays tribute, was an incisive, provocative, and poetic artist whose body of work primarily addresses racial inequity and social injustice. Richards, an Oolite Arts alum, passed away tragically in his art studio in the World Trade Center during the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. A jury of national and local curators and experts will both nominate candidates and select the award winner.
About Michael
Learn about the Oolite Arts alumnus whom this award pays tribute to.
The Ellies Social Justice Award
The Ellies Social Justice Award honors a visual artist who has made a commitment to working for equality in their daily lives and artistic practice. This award will support the selected artist’s practice and creative growth through a stipend of $25,000. A jury of artists and social justice leaders will nominate candidates and select the award winner.
FAQs
Creator Awards
What are the Creator Awards?
These awards will support individual artists with grants of $2,500 to $25,000 to realize a significant visual arts project. These awards are open to all artists who reside in Miami-Dade County.
When will Creator Awards applications be accepted?
Applications, which can be found online here, will be accepted from Wednesday, April 13, 2022 through Monday, May 16, 2021 at 6 p.m.
Who is eligible to apply for a Creator Award?
Because The Ellies are about growing Miami’s visual arts community, Creator Awards are open to any individual artist living and working in Miami-Dade County.
What are you looking for in Creator Award projects?
We want to help individual artists realize their ambitious ideas and advance their careers. There are no limits to the scope of the projects. Winning projects could be an exhibition at a gallery, a public art piece, a museum exhibition, or another format. Funds can go toward ongoing projects, or one not yet launched. We are looking for bold ideas that speak to our community and our times.
What are the main criteria for selection for a Creator Award?
Projects will be evaluated based on the artist’s idea and his/her prior experience, and whether the artist has the ability to bring the project to fruition.
Where, physically, can the Creator Award project take place?
A project can take place in a public or private space, or online. It’s up to the applicant.
Is the Creator Award program only for established artists?
Not at all. The award is open to any working artist, whether they are a student, an emerging artist or have been working in the field for a long time. Eligibility does require that the artist is 18 years of age or older and a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident.
Is the Creator Award only for visual arts projects?
Yes, however, we will be using a wide definition of the visual arts. In addition, the visual arts must be a main component of the project and it has to be led by a working visual artist who lives in Miami-Dade.
How much is a Creator Award?
The awards range from $2,500 to $25,000.
Who decides the Creator Award winners?
A jury of local and national arts leaders will read and choose from among the submitted applications.
Can nonprofits or educational institutions apply for a Creator Award?
The Ellies are for working artists. Eligible applicants are working visual artists who live in Miami-Dade. We hope nonprofits and educational institutions in the arts field will be partners in some of the applications.
Can curators apply for a Creator Award?
A curator can be a part of an application; however, a visual artist must be the person to submit the idea.
How many Creator Award applications should I submit?
As many as you like, though we’d suggest no more than three.
When will the Creator Award recipients be announced?
Fall 2022.
Whom should I contact with any questions I might have?
Please contact [email protected] or attend an informational session.
Teacher Travel Grants
What are The Ellies Teacher Travel Grants?
The Ellies Teacher Travel Grants will provide three K-12 teachers with $5,000 for travel that will ultimately enrich their classroom curriculum. By encouraging teachers to explore and then return to share art experiences with their students, these grants will help to create the audiences that our museums and arts organizations need to thrive.
When will Teacher Travel Grants applications be accepted?
Applications will be accepted from Wednesday, April 13, 2022 through Monday, May 16, 2021 at 6 p.m.
Who is eligible for a Teacher Travel Grant?
Our Teacher Travel Grants are open to all K-12 art teachers in any Miami-Dade County public or private school.
How many Teacher Travel Grants will be awarded?
Three per year.
How much is each Teacher Travel Grant award?
$5,000 per teacher.
Are there any limits on where a teacher can travel using a Teacher Travel Grant?
No, as long as the teacher states in the application how the trip will enhance his or her teaching of the visual arts and the students’ classroom experience.
When will Teacher Travel Grant funding be awarded and by when must it be used?
Travel must be completed by October 2023. Should the Coronavirus pandemic continue to preclude travel, we will work with winners on adjusting their plans.
Who will decide who receives a Teacher Travel Grant?
A jury of local arts leaders and arts teachers will read and choose from among the submitted applications.
Can I apply to take a group of students on a trip using a Teacher Travel Grant?
While a worthwhile endeavor, this funding is limited to art teachers traveling without students.
I have two destinations I’d like to visit. Should I submit both?
You may if you like. Please be sure to fill out two separate applications.
Whom should I contact with any questions I might have?
Please contact [email protected] or attend an information session.
The Michael Richards Award
What is the Michael Richards Award?
The Michael Richards Award is designed to celebrate a Miami-Dade artist who has created a recognized body of original, high-quality art over a sustained period of time and who, through his or her practice, is achieving the highest levels of professional distinction in the visual arts. The award includes a “no strings attached” stipend of $75,000 over two years, and the opportunity to be commissioned by the Oolite Arts in collaboration with The Bass, to create a work to be exhibited at the museum.
Who can apply?
The Michael Richards Award is not open to applications. The recipient will be nominated and selected by a jury of national and local curators and arts experts.
Who is Michael Richards?
Michael Richards was an emerging artist gaining recognition for his work when he was killed working in his studio in the World Trade Center during the 9/11 attacks. From 1997 to 2000 Richards was an artist in residence at Oolite Arts. Read more about Richards.
How much is this award?
The recipient will receive $75,000 payable over two years, no strings attached. In addition, Oolite Arts will commission a piece from the artist for display at The Bass.
What criteria is Oolite Arts using to select the recipient?
The recipient must be an eminent artist with a track record of distinguished artistic achievement, the desire to continue growing, and the ambition to advance his or her career. We hope the recipient will use the award to further his or her artistic practice, and have a continued impact on the visual arts and on Miami-Dade County in general. The artist must be a resident of Miami-Dade County at the time of selection and must maintain the residency during the period of the award. Proof of residency will be required in order to receive the award.
Whom should I contact with any questions I might have?
Please contact [email protected] or attend an informational session.
We’re delighted to name these awards in honor of our founder, Ellie Schneiderman, a visionary who recognized the power of supporting artists in their work. As Ellie often said, Oolite Arts is here to “help artists help themselves.”
Ellies Connect
Learn about the projects directly from the artists.
The Ellies
Meet the winners
Oolite Arts strives to be a leader in the South Florida contemporary cultural scene as a creative learning center and internationally recognized as a world-class cultural center.