The Art Students League of New York is accepting applications through July 12, 2026, for its Works in Public fellowship, a fully funded two-year program that trains artists to create large-scale public sculptures. Formerly known as Model to Monument and launched in 2010 with the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, the fellowship selects four artists per cohort, providing tuition, a stipend, and production costs. Participants develop proposals in the first year and fabricate approved works in the second, with sculptures displayed for a year in Manhattan’s Riverside Park and eligible for permanent installation on the Florida Keys Sculpture Trail.
The fellowship matters because it fills a critical gap in art education: unlike standard MFA programs, Works in Public focuses exclusively on the practical and conceptual demands of public art, from site analysis to engineering. Alumni credit the program with transforming their careers, and its track record—over 50 public artworks installed in Riverside Park, many now permanently sited—demonstrates its role in cultivating the next generation of public artists. The open call, with jurors including artist Jean Shin and Dia Art Foundation curator Matilde Guidelli-Guidi, underscores the program’s commitment to rigorous, real-world training.