February 2026 Artist Opportunities: Grants, Residencies, Markets & More
- Feb 24
- 4 min read
We've gathered local market calls for those ready to connect face-to-face with buyers, remote residencies for creators who need flexibility, environmental art grants for the climate-conscious, and literary prizes for the genre-defiers. Whether you're restocking your booth, applying for your first fellowship, or finally submitting that hybrid writing piece, this February list meets you where you are—and invites you to level up.
🎨 Exhibitions, Markets & Vendor Opportunities
1. SPARK! Not Your Usual Art Market (Arlington, VA – All Media)
A brand new inclusive outdoor market launching in 2026! Handpicked artists and food vendors will gather monthly at the 2700 Art Space, featuring poetry, music, and art-making. No fee to apply or participate in the inaugural year.
📅 Deadline: March 9, 2026
2. Call for Artists – Arts'tination at National Harbor (Prince George's County, MD – Visual Arts)
Prince George's Arts and Humanities Council seeks county artists to show and sell work or lead public workshops at this premier National Harbor gallery space.
📅 Deadline: Rolling
🔗 Contact pablo@pgahc.org
3. Maryland State Fair Vendors (Timonium, MD – Arts/Crafts)
Sell your creations across three summer weekends (August 27–September 13, 2026) at one of Maryland's largest public gatherings.
📅 Deadline: Rolling
🏛️ Residencies & Fellowships
4. Bethany Arts Community Fall Multidisciplinary Residency (Ossining, NY – All Disciplines)
Emerging and established artists across all mediums—visual, literary, performance—are invited to this generative residency fostering cross-pollination and community.
📅 Deadline: May 6, 2026 (Letters due May 13)
5. Baldwin Fellowship Program (Global Majority Artists – Literature/Performance/Visual/Interdisciplinary)
An intergenerational residency for artists of the Global Majority, offering space to create across disciplines including theater, music composition, dance, film, and all literary genres.
📅 Deadline: April 18, 2026
6. Our Inaugural Stay-at-Home Residency (Remote – All Disciplines)
In Situ Polyculture Commons launches a remote residency designed for artists for whom travel is difficult or impossible. Create from home with community support.📅 Deadline: March 1, 2026
💰 Grants & Financial Support
7. The 2027 Creative Capital Open Call (National – Visual/Performing Arts/Film/Literature)One of the most prestigious artist funding opportunities returns! Creative Capital offers unrestricted project grants up to $50,000 for new works, plus $10,000 State of the Art Prizes.
📅 Portal Opens: March 2, 2026 | Deadline: April 2, 2026 (3PM ET)
8. Music in Action Grant (National – Music Venues/Programs)
Live Music Society offers grants up to $50,000 for projects that improve artist/audience experience, cultivate community, and support long-term venue health.
📅 Deadline: March 12, 2026 (11:59 PM Pacific)
9. AFAC Performing Arts Grant (Global – Theater/Dance/Performance)
Annual grants up to $25,000 for individuals and teams, and up to $35,000 for collectives, supporting performance production, training, and festivals.
📅 Deadline: April 2, 2026 (5 PM Beirut Time)
🔗 Submit
10. Emergency Relief Grants (National – Craft Artists)
CERF+ provides $3,000 grants to craft artists recovering from recent, substantially disruptive emergencies or disasters.
📅 Deadline: Rolling
🔗 Get Help
11. ECRAC Resiliency Grant for Individuals (East Central Region, MN – All Disciplines)
Flexible funding up to $600 to help artists respond to unexpected challenges or seize sudden opportunities.
📅 Deadline: Rolling
12. AWAW Environmental Art Grant (Global – Environmental Art)
Support for projects that inspire thought, action, and ethical engagement with environmental issues—especially those exploring interdependence through Indigenous and ancestral practices.
📅 Deadline: April 7, 2026
13. Maryland State Arts Council – Multiple Opportunities (MD – All Disciplines)
A suite of programs including Creativity Grants, Folklife Apprenticeships, Artist Grants, Heritage Awards, Teaching Artist Roster, and Public Art funding.
📅 Deadlines: Vary by program
📚 Publications & Literary Arts
14. Brink Literary Journal Award for Hybrid Writing 2026 (Global – Hybrid/Cross-Genre Writing)
Brink seeks works combining multiple literary and artistic elements—text with visual components, genre-defying pieces—that create dynamic, unclassifiable results.📅 Deadline: March 1, 2026
🔗 Submit
🎬 Film & Media
15. The New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival (Global – LGBTQ+ Film/Media)
One of the world's largest queer film festivals, featuring nearly 150 films from 30+ countries. Categories include narrative, documentary, and shorts.
📅 Deadlines: March 4 (Earlybird), May 5 (Regular), June 11 (Extended), June 30 (Final)
16. Tall Stories at MdFF: The Vertical Perspective (Mid-Atlantic Region – Vertical Film)
Maryland Film Festival seeks 30-second to 5-minute vertical films (shot for Instagram/TikTok) from MD, DC, VA, PA, and DE creators to premiere on the big screen.
📅 Deadline: March 15, 2026
💼 Professional Development & Job Opportunities
17. Director, People and Culture (Baltimore, MD – Full-Time/Hybrid)Mid Atlantic Arts seeks an experienced HR leader to foster an inclusive, engaged organizational culture. The sole HR professional in this mission-driven arts organization.
📅 Deadline: Open until filled
18. Creative Capital Artist Lab (Online – Professional Development)
Free, self-guided online curriculum with courses on artist statements, grant writing, income streams, and more—created by industry experts and fellow artists.
📅 Deadline: Rolling
19. Artist Communities Alliance (ACA) Job Board (National – Arts Employment)
Listings for internships, contract, and full/part-time positions across arts industries. All postings include salary information for transparency.
📅 Deadline: Rolling
✨ Your Next Move
Whether you're eyeing a large grant, hunting for the perfect street fair booth, or quietly working on a hybrid writing piece, this month's list has a lane for you. Deadlines are approaching—set your calendar, gather your materials, and take the leap.
Know an artist who needs to see this? Forward it along. Community is how we rise.
🔗 Questions about an opportunity? Drop them in the comments—we're here to help.
