Efroymson Bridge Year Fellowship

The Application Deadline is 5 p.m. NOVEMBER 17, 2025

The University of Southern Indiana Art and Design Department is very pleased to announce the 2026 Efroymson Bridge Year Fellowship. The Efroymson Bridge Year Fellowship is a competitive award program that provides a highly motivated and talented studio art, photography or design graduate of the University of Southern Indiana’s Art and Design Department with the opportunity to develop a strong portfolio in preparation for graduate study, which is often the foundation for a successful career as an artist, photographer, or designer. The goal of the Efroymson Bridge Year Fellowship is to fund a post-undergraduate year, allowing the recipient to focus on their studio or design practice to expand their artistic vision and enhance their portfolio, to gain maturity as an art maker or designer, and to successfully gain entrance to graduate school in their area of expertise. The Fellowship experiences will make the Fellow much more competitive when applying for graduate school, especially in relation to the acquisition of assistantships.

The Efroymson Bridge Year Fellow will develop a range of skills essential to succeeding in an art or design graduate program. In addition to providing the awardee with funded time to refine their portfolio and necessary application materials, they will have the opportunity to gain instructional experience as a teaching assistant, acquire enhanced knowledge of studio or technology maintenance, and participate in gallery administration or visual resource management. The Efroymson Bridge Year Fellowship will be of great benefit to a recent studio art or design graduate who aspires to move to the next level as an emerging artist or designer by pursuing the Master of Fine Arts degree.  

The University of Southern Indiana and the Art and Design Department are most grateful to the Efroymson Family Fund of the Central Indiana Community Foundation for their generous sponsorship of this outstanding award.

USI majors in studio art, photography, and design emphases (graphic design, interactive media, or illustration) who will graduate by the end of Fall 2025 and USI art or design alumni who have graduated within the last three years (December 2022 to present) are eligible to apply. Candidates must complete the Bridge Year Fellowship application by 5 p.m., November 17, 2025. A committee of Art and Design Department faculty members will choose the recipient of the Fellowship after personal interviews with the finalists.

The awardee will be notified by the week of December 8, 2025.

• The Fellowship period will cover the spring and fall semesters of 2026. as per the Academic Calendar. 
• The chosen Fellow will enroll in ART 589, a 1-credit graduate course, at USI for each of the two semesters. The cost of the course will be covered as part of the Fellowship. The Fellow must apply to the USI Graduate Program as a special student prior to the start of the Spring semester. 
• The Fellow will choose a Faculty Mentor to work with for the duration of the Fellowship. The faculty member must agree to serve as the mentor prior to completion of the Fellowship application. The chosen Faculty Mentor’s must submit a letter of recommendation. This will be the indication that they are in acceptance of the role of mentor. 
• The Fellow will be paid a stipend of approximately $4700 for each 15-week semester. This stipend will allow the Fellow time to develop their portfolio of work and graduate school applications.  The Fellow will be expected to spend a minimum of 27 HOURS PER WEEK on their creative work.
• The Fellow will receive a workspace on campus in which to work for the year and must adhere to all University and Art Department regulations concerning its usage. While the Fellow will not be paid during summer terms, they will retain the space and be able to work there during that time.
• In the Spring semester of the Efroymson Bridge Year Fellowship, in addition to the 27 hours per week of personal work time, the Fellow will be required to assist for one (1) hour per week in studio/technology maintenance and two (2) hours per week as a Teaching Assistant. This teaching may be done under the supervision of the Faculty Mentor or with another faculty member with the consent of the Faculty Mentor.  As a teaching assistant, they will have the opportunity to give lectures/demonstrations, lead critiques, and perform other substantive instructional activities. 
• In the Fall semester of the Efroymson Bridge Year Fellowship, in addition to the 27 hours per week of personal work time, the Fellow will be required to assist in one of the exhibition spaces at USI (this includes the McCutchan Art Center/Pace Galleries or other exhibition spaces) or work with visual resource coordination in the Art and Design Department for one (1) hour per week. Also in this semester, the Fellow will continue assisting two (2) hours per week as a Teaching Assistant; the duties will be like the above spring semester's responsibilities. 
• The Fellow will be expected to make Fellowship responsibilities the primary focus of their energy for the duration of the Fellowship. The total weekly time commitment related to the Fellowship is substantial (27 hours per week).  The Fellow is advised to limit their outside paid employment to 15 or fewer hours per week.  Working a full-time job concurrently with the Fellowship will be likely to impair the Fellow's creative output powerfully and is strongly discouraged. 
• The Fellow must complete applications to a minimum of 4 (FOUR) GRADUATE PROGRAMS FOR Fall 2027 to finalize the requirements of the Fellowship. It is assumed that part of the stipend will go towards the fees associated with the graduate school application process.  Most graduate applications will be due from January 1 – March 15, so the Efroymson Fellow should plan to complete the applications at the end of their fellowship period.
• At the end of the Fellowship, the Fellow must complete a written evaluative report on activities of the Fellowship period. This should include a summary timeline of major achievements, an essay and self-evaluation concerning the Fellow’s creative progress, and an evaluation of the Fellowship itself, with suggestions for improvements.  It should also list the graduate programs to which they are making application. This report is due on or before the last day of the Fall semester. 
• After the end of the Bridge Year Fellowship, the McCutchan Art Center/Pace Galleries will mount a solo exhibition of the work produced over the course of the Fellowship. The Fellow will be responsible for all aspects of the exhibition, from designing the publicity materials, to creating wall labels, to hanging/installing the work (all in conjunction with gallery staff) and presenting a gallery talk at the opening. The Fellow’s exhibit will run from mid-February through mid-March of the spring semester following the fellowship.

BUDGET

Resident of Indiana:

• One-credit graduate course Est. $500 per semester including fees
• Stipend for creative work time $4676 per semester
• Stipend for tools and materials $700.00 per semester
• The Fellowship will fund two consecutive semesters. Total: $11,751.00

Non- resident of Indiana:

• One-credit graduate course Est. $900 per semester including fees
• Stipend for creative work time $4275 per semester
• Stipend for tools and materials $700.00 per semester
• The Fellowship will fund two consecutive semesters. Total: $11,751.00

• Title page
• Statement of Intent (750 words maximum): This essay should provide details about why you are a strong candidate for this Fellowship. What skills will you bring to the Fellowship and what expertise do you wish to gain during your time as Fellow? What are your short-term goals? How will this Fellowship help you to achieve these goals? What are your long-term professional goals after the Efroymson Bridge Year Fellowship and what you hope to gain from attending graduate school (assuming that is a goal after the Fellowship)?
• Artist/Design Statement (250 words maximum)
• Curriculum Vitae/Resume 
• Portfolio of Recent Work -- Image Descriptions and Digital Images of your recent work (at least 15 but no more than 20). Include at least 15 but no more than 20 examples of recent art/design works in your portfolio.  Include only works completed in the past three years along with a brief description of each piece (title, media, size, date). Detail images or secondary viewpoints of three-dimensional works are accepted, but no more than 20 artworks should be included in your application.

For questions, please contact: 

Mr. Brett R. Anderson

Associate Professor of Art

Director of the McCutchan Art Center and Pace Galleries