The Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant was launched in 2006 as an initiative designed to support emerging and established writers who write about contemporary visual art. Ranging from $15,000 to $50,000 in three categories—articles, books, and short-form writing—the grants support projects addressing both general and specialized art audiences, from short reviews for magazines and newspapers to in-depth scholarly studies. We also support art writing that engages criticism through interdisciplinary methods and experiments with literary styles. As long as a writer meets the eligibility and publishing requirements, they can apply.

“The Warhol Foundation aims to support the full range of artistic activity in America—from exhibitions at major museums to neighborhood projects by artist collectives. Arts writers, through the range and specialization of their individual interests, touch upon all of this activity—illuminating and interrogating it and bringing it into conversation with the public. Support for artists is not complete without support for the circulation and serious consideration of their ideas. The Arts Writers Grant program keeps artists at the center of cultural dialogue and debate—in our opinion, right where they belong.”

Joel Wachs, President

Since 2006, the Andy Warhol Arts Writers Grant has given direct financial support to over 300 writers, with funds totaling $10 million. Each year, the program offers an open application. The two-tiered selection process includes evaluators and panelists, chosen for their expertise in contemporary arts writing. In its sixteen years, the Arts Writers Grant has supported a wide range of projects, including articles, books, and short-form writing, as well as new media projects and blogs. Between 2009 and 2020, the Arts Writers Grant also offered The Art Writing Workshop, an annual six-month mentorship program where emerging art writers were selected to work with leading critics in the field. In its twelve years, 120 writers participated in the workshop.

“The terrific range of project proposals we receive each year speaks to the mobile and porous disciplinary boundaries of contemporary art practice, and to the rich and inventive ways writers approach art today. They are alert to the urgent need to expand the conventions of art history and criticism with ideas from other discourses, such as black studies, transnational and diaspora studies, gender and women’s studies, and LGBT studies. The work of lesser known and overlooked artists and art communities continues to be mined, with writers articulating new ways to counter the striking imbalances of race, class and gender that continue to affect the arts and the culture industry.”