Organizer Information
Dia Art Foundation is a nonprofit contemporary arts organization founded in New York in 1974 by Philippa de Menil, Heiner Friedrich, and Helen Winkler. Dia was established to help artists realize ambitious, often large-scale projects that traditional museums and funding structures could not support, and its name derives from the Greek word for "through." The foundation commissions single-artist projects, organizes exhibitions, and maintains an in-depth collection of work by artists associated primarily with the 1960s and '70s, alongside long-term site-specific installations such as Walter De Maria's The Lightning Field and Nancy Holt's Sun Tunnels. Dia's constellation of sites includes Dia Beacon, Dia Chelsea, and Dia Bridgehampton. Its Learning and Engagement programs, active since 1993, offer space for artists, educators, and learners to engage in critical exchange across Dia's locations.
Title & Description
Spiritual Pedagogies Fellowship, Dia Chelsea, 2026–27
The Spiritual Pedagogies Fellowship is part of Dia's Learning and Engagement fellowship program, bringing together early-career artists, educators, and cultural producers to deepen their creative, intellectual, and professional practices. The 2026–27 cohort draws on the sustained inquiry of artists in Dia's collection and exhibition history to examine the evolving relationship between artistic practice, pedagogy, and spirituality — including how artists act as conduits or channels for inspiration, and how spiritual traditions shape the ways people gather, learn, and make meaning. Fellows will engage in process-driven research, dialogue, and exchange alongside an artist mentor, working individually while contributing to a collective exploration of how spirituality informs creative and pedagogical practice.
Theme
Spiritual Pedagogies — examining the relationship between artistic practice, pedagogy, and spirituality, with a broad understanding of spirituality encompassing theological, mystical, ritualistic, and embodied practices.
Categories
- Interdisciplinary Arts
- Educations
- Research
- All Discipline
Eligibility
- Open to early-career artists, educators, and cultural producers
- Applicants should have an interest in contemporary art, experimental pedagogy, and community engagement
- Applicants should seek to deepen an individual creative or pedagogical practice in collaboration with peers
- Selection is open and competitive, based on the thoughtfulness and quality of submitted materials and demonstrated potential to thrive in a collaborative, self-determinative peer community
- Dia states it does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, national origin, ethnic origin, citizenship status, disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, marital status, veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics, and encourages candidates with nontraditional learning or career paths to apply
Program Benefits & Awards
- $3,000 stipend, disbursed in two payments of $1,500 in January and June 2027
- Individualized mentorship from Dia artists, educators, and staff
- An inclusive, co-created peer-learning community
- Access to materials and community spaces
- Direct engagement with Dia's public programs, exhibitions, collection, and archive
- Direct engagement with Dia's New York locations and sites, including Dia Bridgehampton, The New York Earth Room, and The Broken Kilometer
- Eligibility to apply for Fieldwork, a program inviting participants of Dia's apprenticeship, fellowship, and teen programs to conduct research projects engaging Dia's sites and related communities
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Virtual information session: 20 July 2026
- Application Deadline: 9 August 2026
- Fellowship duration: October 2026 – June 2027
- Stipend disbursements: January 2027 and June 2027
Location
New York, United States
Additional Details
- Cohort size: six fellows
- Schedule includes monthly cohort sessions, monthly mentorship meetings, and monthly program engagements
- Dia is an Equal Opportunity Employer and supports a neurodiverse workplace