SFAI’s 2026 programming builds on its 40-year legacy as a space for artistic experimentation, community engagement, and critical dialogue. Throughout this period, SFAI will continue exploring onsite, remote, and hybrid models of artist support to identify the most responsive and sustainable approach before resuming onsite residencies in 2027.
The year’s initiatives focus on evolving artist support models, expanding professional development for local artists, advancing equity in financial and structural support, and strengthening curatorial partnerships that connect creative practice to public life.
Redefining Artist Support: Fellowship-Based Pilot
In 2026, SFAI will pilot a series of fellowships, shifting temporarily from its traditional onsite residency model. These fellowships will provide deeper financial support, structured peer learning, and expanded community engagement. All of SFAI’s fellowships, with the exception of The Rising Star Program (TRSP), are yearlong. This structure allows SFAI to explore how sustained support over time enables artists to create work at their own pace and balance their creative practice with other commitments and responsibilities.
Together, these programs represent SFAI’s ongoing evolution toward artist-centered, equitable models of creative support.
SCAR Fellowship (Spinal Cord Artist Residency)
The SCAR Fellowship continues SFAI’s leadership in access-centered program design. Supported by the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, SCAR is a fully funded two-year pilot program created by and for artists with spinal cord injuries (SCI). It provides barrier-free access, creative research support, and inclusive community engagement opportunities. SCAR supports both creative production and daily living needs while advancing artist leadership in shaping disability-inclusive arts infrastructure.
SCAR’s development builds on SFAI’s long-term partnership with the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation and its previous Creative Access Fellowship, which since 2017 has supported 20 artists with SCI and introduced lasting accessibility improvements to campus. Co-developed with former fellows, SCAR directly addresses persistent barriers faced by SCI artists—ranging from physical inaccessibility to exclusion from professional networks and leadership spaces—and demonstrates how residencies can become more accessible, intentional, and artist-led.
The program, which is being co-developed by four alums of the Creative Access Program, supports eight artists with SCI annually. Participation is cost-free, with no application fee. Each artist receives a $2,500 stipend, fully funded travel to and from Santa Fe, and on-site lodging. Funds are also provided for personal care assistants (PCAs) or art assistants, including travel and housing during the on-site portion of the residency.
Learn more about the SCAR Fellowship
Community of Practice: Art in Action Fellowship (formerly International Thematic Residency)
In 2026, SFAI will pilot a transformative, one-year reimagining of our International Thematic Residency program in response to the growing global crises of ideological division, cultural fragmentation, and ecological instability. Instead of traditional onsite residencies at our Santa Fe, NM facilities, this fellowship offers artists a unique, project-based opportunity to cultivate empathy, promote healing, and advance pluralism within their own communities.
SFAI’s thematic program has historically responded to major social and environmental challenges through artist-led inquiry. The 2026 Community of Practice: Art in Action Fellowship will invite artists to develop projects that bridge societal divides, foster empathy, and strengthen communities.
Each fellow will receive a $10,000 stipend, staff-supported virtual engagements, and project documentation support. Cohort gatherings will facilitate peer exchange and professional development. A publication documenting the fellows’ work will be released at the conclusion of the program.
Learn more about the Community of Practice: Art in Action Fellowship
Rising Star Program (2026–2028)
SFAI is among seven U.S. organizations selected for The Rising Star Program (TRSP), a three-year partnership with the European Union that promotes international exchange, research, and collaboration. Partnering with the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA)—the only four-year degree fine arts institution in the nation devoted to contemporary Native American and Alaska Native arts—SFAI will host one EU artist annually for creative research and cultural exchange in Santa Fe.
Artists will present their work in an annual exhibition in Washington, D.C., while SFAI’s Executive Director participates in peer learning with other partner institutions to help shape the program’s long-term framework. Fellows will be announced in early spring.
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