Individual Artist Fellows Announced
UPSTATE INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS FELLOWSHIP ANNOUNCES FELLOWS IN UPSTATE REGION
Nevada City, CA, August 7, 2026 – County arts agencies across California’s 19-county Upstate Region, led by Nevada County Arts & Culture, announce $240,000 in direct grant awards to individual artists and culture bearers at key moments in their careers. This cohort of 15 fellows honors exceptional creative vision, aesthetic excellence, and deep community impact spanning visual, performing, literary, media, traditional, and Indigenous arts disciplines.
Announcing the Upstate Individual Artists Fellowship cohort follows months of regional outreach, application support, and a rigorous multi-round panel review process across Northern California. Says Eliza Tudor, Executive Director at Nevada County Arts & Culture, the Administering Organization for the program under the California Arts Council:
“It is an honor to serve the State in this way, and to ensure that the Upstate Region is funded more generously than in past cycles. In 2021 artists in our region received $70,000; and in 2023 this increased to $100,000. Now, Upstate Artists and Culture Bearers will be receiving $240,000 in state funds.
“Investing directly in artists and culture bearers is foundational to the health and vitality of our entire region. Unrestricted funding empowers artists at pivotal career moments—providing the freedom and stability needed to deepen their creative practices, sustain ancestral traditions, and continue uplifting the cultural and civic fabric of California’s rural and mountain communities.”
Fellowships were awarded across three distinct funding tiers: Emerging ($5,000), recognizing developing practitioners taking pivotal steps in their careers; Established ($10,000), celebrating mid-career artists deeply integrated into the cultural fabric of Upstate California; and Legacy ($50,000), honoring masters and culture bearers who have dedicated decades to sustaining community lifeways, artistic traditions, and mentorship across the region.
MEET THE 2026 UPSTATE INDIVIDUAL ARTIST FELLOWS
EMERGING ARTIST FELLOWS
Adrienne Johnson | Interdisciplinary Arts
Beste Filiz Yuksel | Literary Arts
Camryn Growing Thunder | Interdisciplinary Arts
Quinn Wynacht | Performing Arts
Seon-Young Jeong | Visual Arts
yétúndé ọlágbajú | Interdisciplinary Arts
ESTABLISHED ARTIST FELLOWS
Denise Hernandez | Interdisciplinary Arts
Jennifer Rain Crosby | Interdisciplinary Arts
Julia Park Tracey | Literary Arts
Lindsay McIntosh | Performing Arts
LK James | Interdisciplinary Arts
Marcelo Hernandez Castillo | Literary Arts
LEGACY ARTIST FELLOWS
Alasdair Fraser | Performing Arts
Buffie Campbell | Traditional / Indigenous Practices
Raymond Gonzales | Visual Arts
To learn more about each fellow, visit www.upstateiaf.org/2026fellows.
Sofia Vivanco Airaghi, Grants Manager for the Upstate Individual Artists Fellowship, notes:
“Our application process was competitive — we received 243 submissions from extraordinary creatives across our region. Evaluating these applications through a rigorous multi-round peer review process revealed the sheer depth, diversity, and resilience of Northern California's artistic workforce. We couldn’t be more proud to uplift this remarkable cohort of 15 fellows as leaders and changemakers in their communities.”
Funded fellows represent a broad cross-section of artistic disciplines and geographic reach, and some of the most remote, rural regions. From Indigenous weavers and traditional oral historians to contemporaryperforming artists and visual storytellers, these awardees showcase the social impact and cultural leadership embedded throughout Upstate California.
Tudor adds:
“Our regional team is profoundly grateful to every artist and culture bearer who submitted an application. The intense demand and high level of excellence across all 19 counties send a clear message to the state: investing directly in individual creators yields immeasurable cultural, social, and economic dividends for all Californians.”
Within the Upstate Region, as Administering Organization for the California Arts Council, Nevada County Arts & Culture works in close collaboration with a network of State-Local Partner agencies. Connected through a regional coalition grounded in equity and peer learning, these partner agencies include: Arts Council of Mendocino County, Arts Council of Placer County, Colusa County Arts Council, Del Norte Association for Cultural Awareness, Friends of the Arts in Butte, Humboldt Arts Council, Lake County Arts Council, Lassen County Arts Council, Modoc County Arts Council, Shasta County Arts Council, Sierra County Arts Council, Siskiyou County Arts Council, Tehama County Arts Council, Trinity County Arts Council, and Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture.
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About Nevada County Arts & Culture:
By resolution of the Nevada County Board of Supervisors, Nevada County Arts & Culture is the designated State-Local Partner with the California Arts Council. A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Nevada County Arts & Culture facilitates collaborative efforts that promote and sustain the visual, literary, and performing arts of Nevada County and the broader region to advance the cultural, social, and economic life of all community members. Learn more at www.nevadacountyarts.org.
