Two Arts Journalism Fellowships

Yes they still exist. For the past several years the NEA has sponsored three arts journalism fellowship programs: classical music at Columbia University in New York, theatre at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and dance at the American Dance Festival at Duke University in North Carolina.

There's still time to apply for the dance critics institute, which runs from June 20-July 11. And this year the NEA has added a fourth institute in visual arts, to be held at American University in Washington, DC June 12-26th. Deadline for both applications is April 10. Oddly, there's no website for the visual art institute. Applicants should send "a brief cover letter explaining their experience in the arts, a resume, and a published writing sample" to visualartsinstitute@american.edu. The State Department is teaming up with the NEA for this program and 24 journalists will be chosen, half from the US and half from the Middle East, Northern Africa, Asia and "other countries" (does that leave anyone out?).

In the meantime,this year's edition of the theatre institute (directed by ARTicles-blogger Sasha Anawalt) gets underway April 14. To give you an idea of the kinds of journalists the institutes are looking at, the 23 chosen as fellows this year include:

Teresa Annas, arts writer, The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Va.; Marilyn Bauer, entertainment editor, Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers, Stuart, Fla.; Marcos Cabrera, features reporter, Monterey County Herald, Calif.; Colin Dabkowski, arts writer, The Buffalo News, N.Y.; Keli Dailey, content producer, San Diego Union-Tribune and SignOnSanDiego.com, Calif.; Kathi Scrizzi Driscoll, feature writer/editor, Cape Cod Times, Hyannis, Mass.; Alicia Grega, current events editor, electric city/diamond city & the 570.com published by The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.; Rebecca Haithcoat, affiliated freelancer, Leo Weekly, Louisville, Ky.; Bob Hoover, book editor and theater critic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pa.; Daphne Howland, freelancer and contributing editor, Port City Life, Portland, Maine.; MiChelle Jones, freelance visual arts writer, The Tennessean, Nashville, Tenn.; Chris Klimek, affiliated freelancer, The Washington Post and DCist.com, D.C.; John Kuebler, affiliated freelancer, Cairn Magazine, Denver, Colo.; David Lefkowitz, publisher and editor-in-chief, TotalTheater.com, Hewlett, N.Y.; Evelyn McDonnell, freelance writer/editor, Miami Beach, Fla.; Manny Mendoza, affiliated freelancer, KERA Art&Seek, Dallas, Texas.; Michael Merschel, assistant arts editor, Dallas Morning News, Texas.; Roxana Orellana, theater writer, Salt Lake Tribune, Utah.; Laura Pieper, affiliated freelancer, The Tribune, Ames, Iowa.; Steve Rowland, independent documentary radio producer, Seattle, Wash.; Jim Rutter, freelance arts critic, The Broad Street Review, Philadelphia, Pa.; Alan Scherstuhl, freelance columnist, The Pitch, Kansas City, Mo.; Glen Weldon, affiliated freelancer, Washington City Paper, D.C.