Announcing the 2026 McKnight Visual Artist Fellows
Designed to support mid-career Minnesota artists, the fellowship provides each recipient with a $25,000 stipend, professional development, a residency, and more.
On behalf of the McKnight Foundation, Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) announces the six recipients of the 2026 McKnight Fellowships for Visual Artists: Torey Erin, Isa Gagarin, Jay Heikes, Prima Jalichandra-Sakuntabhai, Jovan C. Speller, and Erinn Springer.
Designed to support mid-career Minnesota artists, the McKnight Fellowships for Visual Artists provide each recipient with a $25,000 stipend, public recognition, professional encouragement from national critics, and a residency facilitated by the Artist Communities Alliance (ACA).
The 2026 McKnight fellows were selected from a group of 164 applicants by a national panel of arts professionals. Jurors were Laura Mott, Chief Curator of Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, MI; Michael Rooks, Wieland Family Senior Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA; Edra Soto, Chicago-based artist, educator, and co-director of outdoor project space The Franklin, Chicago, IL.
Edra Soto reflected on the jurying process: “Serving as a juror for the McKnight Artist and Culture Bearers Fellowship was a true privilege. As an artist, I find evaluating artistic practices challenging, yet I recognize the importance of each individual's life and unique contributions. I believe it is my duty to provide objective perspectives and to support artists who risk so much to create, express themselves, and advocate for others through their personal lenses.”
Founded on the belief that Minnesota thrives when its artists thrive, the McKnight Foundation’s arts program is one of the oldest and largest of its kind in the country. Support for working Minnesota artists has been a cornerstone of the program since it began in 1982. The McKnight Artist and Cultural Bearer Fellowships Program provides annual, unrestricted cash awards to outstanding mid-career Minnesota artists in fifteen different creative disciplines.
The fellowships are funded by a grant from the McKnight Foundation and administered by MCAD with support from Program Director Keisha Williams and Associate Fellowship Coordinator Melanie Pankau.
To learn more, visit mcad.edu/mcknight or email gallery@mcad.edu.
