Programs
Fellowship
Academy
Residency
To improve outcomes for justice-impacted artists, we provide financial and community support through four core programs: our catalytic Fellowship program; capacity-building Academy and Arts Incubator; exhibition and programming opportunities through our Gallery; and practice exploration through our forthcoming Residency and Retreat in rural Pennsylvania. Through mentorship and professional development, we equip our community with the tools to succeed—helping to reframe our society’s criminal legal narrative, advocating for racial justice and equity, and using art to build, organize, and support local and national movements.
Right of Return Fellowship
The first of its kind, the RoR Fellowship offers an annual award of $10,000 in unrestricted funds and $10,000 in project development funds to formerly incarcerated artists. Fellows are invited to an annual retreat to network with previous fellows, advocates, industry leaders, and funders. During the retreat, they can present their project proposals to the cohort, receive feedback from their peers, and participate in New York City’s many cultural events. The Right of Return Fellowship (ROR), founded in 2017 by artists Jesse Krimes and Russell Craig
Fellows
Academy
The Academy and Incubator will support system-impacted artists at all stages of their careers, with the primary emphasis on artists who are emerging or further developing their artistic practice.
The curriculum will include foundational programming, intermediate professional development, and masterclasses from established artists and other art world professionals, all with the aims of simultaneous practical and conceptual development for sustainable artistic practices. It will scale in collaboration with a growing network of cultural institutions across the country. The Academy will be a feeder program for the Right of Return of Return Fellowship, and the curriculum from the Academy will in turn be available to all Right of Return Fellows and Alumni. This interdisciplinary approach will engender sustained mentorship while also forming pipelines for peer-to-peer interaction and support.
Residency
The residency, located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, will serve as a generative space where our artists and advocates can come together for reflection, learning, relationships, discovery, creativity, healing, and strategy.
It will offer short and long-term stays to both our Academy and Right of Return Alumni and leading social justice advocates from around the nation. Our programming will include intimate workshops, curated talks, strategic planning sessions, and two annual Right of Return retreats designed to uplift and empower attendees in a historical setting.
