Artist Opportunities in the Sunshine State

Whether you’re looking for a residency, a writing contest, a supportive community, or funding for a specific project, Florida has a lot to offer year-round.

As any Florida artist will tell you, there’s more to the state’s art scene than Art Basel in Miami Beach. Like the South in general, Florida is full of artist opportunities, cultural organizations, and artist alliances. Whether you’re looking for a residency, a writing contest, a supportive community, or funding for a specific project, Florida has a lot to offer year-round.

And good things come to those who seek them out. You can search for opportunities on NYFA Source, a nationwide database of artist awards and services. As you can see in our instructions for Source, you can filter your search in a variety of ways, including by artistic discipline, award or service type, application deadline, or by state and county.

Networking on a local level is also a great way to find out about available opportunities. As we write in our book The Profitable Artist, “networking is about developing a base of people who will support your efforts and want you to succeed.” You can meet like-minded artists in your area by joining an artists’ group, like the Gulf Coast Artists’ Alliance in Saint Petersburg, or by attending various events. When we selected the awards, services, and cultural organizations below, we wanted to include opportunities for networking, not just opportunities for recognition and funding.  

We’ve grouped the following opportunities—many with deadlines this summer and fall—by region, but they’re open to artists across the state unless otherwise noted.

The Panhandle

The Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville is a local arts council that champions the appreciation, relevance, and expression of art and culture in the Jacksonville area.

Apply for their SPARK Grant program in August (the exact deadline will most likely be announced in June).

In Tallahassee, Anhinga Press has been publishing poetry since the 1970’s. Poets, if you have a manuscript you’re hoping to publish, apply for the Robert Dana-Anhinga Prize for Poetry by May 20.

Central Florida

The Writers Alliance of Gainesville, which works to support writers in the area, knows the value of a writer’s workshop. Gainesville writers, why not join a critique pod? Or submit your work for the Bacopa Literary Review Prize, which is open to writers everywhere, by June 30.

Art and History Museums Maitland has a long history of promoting the arts in Maitland. Visual artists and writers who are seeking studio space can apply for their Artist-in-Action program by July 1, and visual artists working in traditional mediums, check out their Artist-in-Residence program; applications are due September 4.

At Atlantic Center for the Arts, an interdisciplinary artists’ community, artists in all disciplines can apply for the Master Artists-in-Residence Program by May 15, or check back for later deadlines (this residency takes place four times each year).

Mount Dora Center for the Arts, in addition to offering educational programs, conducts Curated and Juried Exhibitions throughout the year; they are currently looking for photography around the theme “Intimacy with the Subject” by July 11.

South Florida

Broward County Cultural Division in Fort Lauderdale provides financial, technical, and marketing assistance to artists. Their Creative Investment Program, which is open to Broward County residents, provides funding for exhibitions, live performances, lectures, demonstrations or other arts activities that engage an audience in Broward County. Apply by October 1.

The Miami Light Project presents live performances by innovative dance, music and theater artists from around the world and supports the development of new work by South Florida-based artists. Performing and multi-media artists, apply for the Here & Now Commision opportunity by June 24. If you’re interested in becoming a theater technician, apply for the organization’s Technical Training Program by August 1.

This is the first year for ArtCenter South Florida’s ARTSail Residency & Research Program, which calls for proposals from artists and curators working in any and all media. Prior interest in science, water, and the marine environment is welcome and encouraged. Apply by June 30 if you’re hankering after a residency on a waterborne vessel.

The Keys & Other Islands

The Florida Keys Council of the Arts supports individual artists and organizations in Monroe County. Through their Special Project Grant, they provide short-term support to vital, creative projects; apply by June 30. Apply by August 31 for the ArtReach Grant, which provides funding for audience development for individual artists working in a variety of disciplines.

Florida artists and arts organizations on the ground, we’d love to hear about other awards and services in your area! Chime in during our next #ArtistHotline, our monthly Professional Development Day for the arts, occurring on the third Wednesday of each month.

Find more opportunities in Florida and around the country on NYFA Source.

– Mirielle Clifford, Program Associate, Online Resources

Image: Carrie Scanga (Fellow in Architecture/Environmental Structures ‘04)