Under the Sky, Installation shot. Left: Rupy C. Tut, Right: Kota Ezawa, Back: Demetri Broxton, Photo: Minoosh Zomorodinia
Minoosh Zomorodinia
Where the Tree Grows Fellowship Exhibition: work by Sky Tafoya and Amy Elkins
Esy Casey - three channel video installation with audio: No Man Ever Steps in the Same River Twice, 2020.
Plant Material

Curatorial Fellowship Program

KALA CURATORIAL FELLOWSHIP 

UPCOMING APPLICATION DEADLINES

Deadline: March 1st, 2026 (9:00 PM PST)

The residency application will be published on December 15, 2025.

Visit kala.slideroom.com starting on December 15th to begin your application!

ABOUT KALA CURATORIAL FELLOWSHIP:

We are excited to launch a new Curatorial Fellowship this cycle at Kala. For the inaugural program we are accepting applications from Bay Area curators, artists, and cultural workers to provide research and exhibition development opportunities. The year-long program culminates in an 8-10 week exhibition in the Kala Gallery.

CURATORIAL FELLOWSHIP RESOURCES:

For this pilot project, Kala will select and support one Curatorial Fellow who will receive a $3000 stipend, an available desk in the gallery office for exhibition research and development, a Kala art class or workshop, access to Kala’s permanent collection of over 2,500 prints and works on paper, mentorship by Kala’s exhibitions and collections team, Mayumi Hamanaka and Sonya Castillo, and exhibition support (Kala will pay an additional 40 hours directly to Kala’s installers for for install/deinstall and up to $3,000 for artist honoraria, shipping, materials, and other misc exhibition costs for the Curatorial Fellow’s  8-10 week exhibition in the Kala Gallery to take place between September 2027 – January 2028.)

CURATORIAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM PERIOD:

– Application notifications: May 2026
– The Curatorial Fellowship program period is January 1 – December 31, 2027
– 8-10 week exhibition starting between September 2027 – January 2028 (Dates TBD)

QUESTIONS: 

Please contact Mayumi Hamanaka, Co-Executive Director (mayumi@kala.org / 510-841-7000 x 201) or Sonya Castillo, Art Sales & Collections Manager (sonya@kala.org / 510-841-7000 x206) with related questions about Kala’s new Curatorial Fellowship.

A FULL APPLICATION INCLUDES:

– Completed application questions in SlideRoom
– Curatorial statement
– Curatorial proposal
– resumé or CV
– Curatorial work samples, 8-10 exhibition images and/or 5 minutes of video
– Two references (include contact information only, no letters)

APPLICATION FEE

Application fees vary by date of submission. Submit by Jan 15, 2026 and there is no fee.
– Dec 15, 2025 to Jan 15, 2026 no fee
– Jan 16 – March 1, 2026 $25 application fee

SELECTION PANEL

Fellowship panelists change each year and are different for every application cycle, so if you do not receive a Fellowship in one cycle, there are plenty of opportunities for your work to resonate with future panelists. The Fellowship selection panel includes: an invited Bay Area arts professional; a Fellowship alum; Mayumi Hamanaka, Kala’s Co-Executive Director; and the panel is chaired by Artist Residency Manager, Leyla Rzayeva.

Find out more about Kala’s Fellowship, Artist-in-Residence Program, Veterans Artist Residency, and residency experience:

– How to Apply
– Veterans Artist Residency (March 1st, deadline)
– Artist Residency (AIR) Program (March 1st, deadline)
– Fellowship (March 1st, deadline)
– Jen Cole Artist-in-Residence Award (July deadline)
– CCA Hamaguchi Emerging Artist Resdiency at Kala (July deadline)

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