Art Students League Opens Applications for Public Art Fellowship

The Art Students League of New York is accepting applications for Works in Public, a fully funded two-year public art fellowship, through July 12, 2026. Launched in 2010 in partnership with the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation (formerly Model to Monument), the program has debuted over 50 public artworks in Riverside Park. Four artists per cycle receive full tuition, a stipend, and fabrication costs. Year one focuses on seminars in public sculpture history, site analysis, and engineering; year two on fabrication and installation. After a year-long exhibition at Riverside Park, sculptures since 2017 are eligible for permanent installation in the Florida Keys Sculpture Trail. Past works have also been placed at SUNY Rockland and Rye, New York. Applicants must be 18+, not enrolled in a degree program, and able to commute to Manhattan. Jurors for 2026 include artist Jean Shin and Dia Art Foundation curator Matilde Guidelli-Guidi. Alumni Sherwin Banfield (2012) and Malin Abrahamsson (2024) praised the program's career impact and unique focus on public art.