Smart Growth America's Arts and Culture program is looking for six AAPI social practice or community-engaged artists and cultural workers across the American South to join the Outside In Artist Fellowship, a year-long professional development opportunity. Learn more about the program below and apply here by February 27.

The fellowship, part of Smart Growth America's Outside In project to document and preserve AAPI suburban histories, will bring together artists from diverse disciplines to explore community-engaged practice, oral history methods, cultural preservation, and the intersections of arts and culture and urban planning. Fellows will receive a $2,500 stipend and participate in six 90-minute virtual learning sessions from March 2026 through February 2027, building skills, networks, and sustainability strategies for long-term community work.

"AAPI communities have profoundly shaped suburban landscapes across the South—through commercial corridors, religious institutions, cultural practices, and everyday acts of place building," said Marian Liou, Director of Arts and Culture at Smart Growth America. "But these histories often remain invisible in official archives and planning processes. This fellowship centers artists and cultural workers as documentarians, organizers, and visionaries who can make these stories visible and ensure our communities have power in shaping their own futures."

What fellows will learn

Over the course of six virtual sessions, fellows will:

• Build oral history and community documentation skills with trauma-informed, culturally sensitive approaches
• Understand suburban development systems—zoning, transportation planning, economic development, and how communities can steward change
• Have the opportunity to design community-engaged creative projects that surface stories, build power, and create visibility
• Learn from national models of AAPI artist-led community development and historic preservation
• Join a regional network of AAPI artists and cultural workers building collective power

Who should apply

The fellowship welcomes AAPI artists and cultural workers of all disciplines and career stages who identify as having a social practice or community-engaged practice and who:

• Are based in the U.S. South (particularly the Atlanta, Dallas, and Memphis regions, though all Southern states are eligible)
• Have a connection to or interest in working with AAPI suburban communities
• Have local community ties and prior experience in social or community-engaged practice
• Can commit to six 90-minute virtual sessions and light homework between sessions
• Want to build skills, network, and long-term sustainability for their community work

Disciplines include but are not limited to: visual arts, performing arts, writing, filmmaking, design, cultural organizing, community history, and all forms of creative practice.

Fellowship benefits

• $2,500 stipend for full participation (25% disbursed up front, 75% upon fellowship completion)
• Six expert-led virtual learning sessions with national, regional, and local practitioners
• Regional network of peer artists and cultural workers
• Ongoing support through office hours, mentorship, and cohort connection

Key Dates

• Application deadline: February 27, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET
• Fellows notified: March 13, 2026
• Sessions will take place virtually: March 26, April 30, June 25, September 24, December 3, 2026; February 25, 2027
• Fellowship period: March 2026–February 2027

How to Apply

The application takes approximately 15 minutes to complete and asks about your community connections, creative practice, and fellowship goals. No extensive portfolio or writing samples required.

Apply online: 2026-2027 Outside In Artist Fellowship Application

Questions? Contact Marian Liou, Director of Arts and Culture
Email: [email protected]