Freelands Studio Fellowships 2026

Fellowships were once a staple of the art education landscape, providing a vital first step in many artists’ careers by enabling them to develop their own practice while gaining experience working with students.  
 
Since 2021, Freelands Foundation has supported opportunities for early-career artists to practise within university contexts. The Studio Fellowship programme enables selected Fellows to undertake a one-year, full-time studio residency and to participate in the academic community at one of the eight participating universities, fostering the unique symbiosis of teaching, learning and making that emerges from this context.

This opportunity is open to artists with a studio-based practice or a practice that would benefit from full-time studio space, working in any medium, and who have graduated from one of our eight partner art schools: 

• Bath School of Art, Film and Media, Bath Spa University
• Birmingham School of Art, Birmingham City University
• Cardiff School of Art and Design, Cardiff Metropolitan University
• Duncan Jordanstone College of Art & Design, University of Dundee
• Falmouth School of Art, Falmouth University
• Gray’s School of Art, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen
• School of Art and Media, University of Brighton
• Belfast School of Art, Ulster University  

For full application guidance and eligibility criteria, download the documents below.

You can also check your eligibility via the online checker here.

All Fellows on the programme will receive:

• Access to a studio space and a range of research, technical and workshop facilities to develop and diversify their practice. 
• Dedicated mentorship.
• The opportunity to engage with the student cohort, including supporting staff in undertaking workshops, crits and tutorials.
• The opportunity for a solo presentation of their work, such as an exhibition, either onsite at the university or at another nearby location arranged by the university.
• A £26,000 bursary and further support towards their creative and professional development, including spending a day at another partner university as a visiting lecturer.

On 9 October 2025 Visual Artists Ireland is hosting Connected Horizons: Studio Fellowship Showcase. In this session, alumni of Belfast School of Art, Ulster University will share their experiences of the fellowship, offering insights into the programme and its impact on artistic and professional development. This session will feature introductions by Rosie Hermon (Artist Development Curator, Freelands Foundation), Matthew Wilson (2025 Fellow, Falmouth University) and Dominic McKeown (2024 Fellow, Bath Spa University) and will close with a Q&A.

Applicants interested in attending this session can sign up via the link above, with a discounted rate offered to those within Visual Artists Ireland’s networks.

Image: Marly Merle at Bath Spa University, 2025. Still from Pete Telfer.