New Village Arts Calls For Fellows for the 2025-2026 Dea Hurston Fellowship

New Village Arts has announced its Call for Fellows for the Dea Hurston Professional Fellowship (DHF). In loving memory of the incredible Dea Hurston, who passed away on July 7, 2024, this prestigious opportunity aims to select two emerging theatre professionals as well as a professional visual artist who demonstrate outstanding talent and a commitment to community-building within the arts. BIPOC individuals are strongly encouraged to apply. 

The Dea Hurston Fellowship (DHF) program at New Village Arts was created to address the lack of paid opportunities for women, BIPOC, and other underrepresented theatre artists and students in San Diego. The DHF, which will currently focus on San Diego County, is centered on the belief that a more diverse theatre environment leads to better and more inspiring stories that have a broader positive impact on our communities. 

Bryttney Salvant, NVA’s Fellowship Manager and Hurston Visual Artist Fellow, is excited to be the first Visual Artist Fellow:

"I am beyond honored to be named the first Dea Hurston Visual Artist Fellow. As an artist dedicated to storytelling, representation, and community impact, carrying forward Hurston’s legacy is both humbling and inspiring. Her fearless creativity and commitment to amplifying Black voices have paved the way for artists like myself to push boundaries and celebrate our truths. This fellowship is not just an opportunity—it’s a responsibility to continue weaving narratives that uplift, challenge, and empower. I am thrilled to embark on this journey and contribute to the ever-evolving legacy of artistic excellence.”

The DHF is designed to support artists working within San Diego County to create meaningful connections and discourse with NVA, youth and college-aged partners, and the greater San Diego theatre and arts community. The Professional fellows are offered a key role as Theatre Professionals working on an NVA production within our 24th Season, a Professional Theatre Fellows will receive a stipend of $10,000 and Visual Artist Fellows receive $2,500 as well as a dedicated mentor, and the opportunity to work with high school and college affiliated NVA partners to further support young theatre professionals in San Diego. After the Fellowship, Fellows will be given the opportunity to publicly present about their work, and possible additional engagements with the NVA community. Full Fellowship expectations are outlined in the contract. The stipend includes all expectations of each Professional Fellow over the Fellowship. 

The Call for Fellows opens on March 5th, 2025, and the deadline for submissions is April 2nd, 2025. Aspiring fellows are invited to submit their applications online via the New Village Arts website.
 

To ensure proper consideration, applicants must provide the following: 

• Contact Information
• Letter of Intent: A concise statement not exceeding one page outlining the artist's goals for the fellowship and their approach to utilizing the community-building opportunities provided.
• Current Resume/CV: A comprehensive overview of the artist's professional background, not exceeding three pages.
  PDF Portfolio: Five to ten images and/or video clips of past work, with each entry accompanied by a title, date, and brief statement (up to 200 words) describing the work. Video should be no longer than 5 minutes. 

Eligibility is limited to artists who meet the following guidelines:

• Must be at least 18 years old at time of entry.
• Must reside in San Diego or North County.
• The residency seeks to support underrepresented San Diego-based artists and administrators and encourages Black and/or BIPOC artists and administrators to apply.
• Candidates may not be enrolled in a degree-seeking program, either part-time or full time, at an institution of higher learning at the time of application deadline or during the period of the
  residency.
• Artists affiliated with New Village Arts in an administrative capacity are not eligible to apply. This includes all full time administrative staff and Board members working with the organization in any sort of their official capacity. 
• Artists with previous experiences benefiting from increased professional opportunity are encouraged to apply.

For more information about the Dea Hurston Professional Fellowship and to submit an application, please visit https://newvillagearts.org/the-dea-hurston-fellowship/. Join us in shaping the future of theatre and fostering a more inclusive and vibrant artistic community.