DVAA’S FELLOWS
Inspired by the vision of DVAA’s founders to provide a creative refuge for marginalized artists, the DVAA Fellowship Program was created in 2018 to better serve the DVAA Membership and the arts communities of Philadelphia. We annually support underserved artists with innovative ideas through four distinct Fellowship tracks. Fellows accepted into the program are encouraged to develop and pursue experimental concepts and themes within their exhibition with the support of DVAA staff and resources.
Learn more about each of the Fellowship tracks at the bottom of the page.
2025 Fellows
2024 Fellows
2023 Fellows
Mai Eltahir
Kathryn Pannepacker Fellow
Neill Catangay
Michelle Angela Ortiz Fellow
Heather Marie Scholl
Linda Lee Alter Fellow
2022 Fellows
Michael Smaczylo
Kathryn Pannepacker Fellow
Shwarga Bhattacharjee
Michelle Angela Ortiz Fellow
Hagudeza Rullán-Fantauzzi
Linda Lee Alter Fellow
2021 Fellows
Scout Cartagena
Michelle Angela Ortiz Fellow
Maci Kociszewski
Kathryn Pannepacker Fellow
Candy Alexandra Gonzalez
Linda Lee Alter Fellow
2020 Fellows
Robert Zurer
Severo Antonelli Fellow*
Vincente Ortiz Cortez
Michelle Angela Ortiz Fellow
Chelsey Luster
Kathryn Pannepacker Fellow
2019 Fellows
Malachi Lily
Kathryn Pannepacker Fellow
Lucia Garzon
Severo Antonelli Fellow*
The Linda Dubin Garfield Track
In honor of Linda Dubin Garfield’s lifelong commitment to using art as a medium towards advocacy work, this Fellowship track is awarded to a Philadelphia printmaker or collective to develop a curatorial project using the medium of printmaking.
The Michelle Angela Ortiz Track
Named after Michelle Angela Ortiz and her 25+ years of work in our neighborhood using art as a vehicle to represent people and communities whose histories are often lost or co-opted. This Fellowship track provides an opportunity for one artist/curator to explore personal narratives of marginalized identities by engaging with local communities to examine, explore, and challenge Euro-centric narratives through an exhibition and related programming.
The Kathryn Pannepacker Track
Kathryn Pannepacker revitalized DVAA in 1997 and continues to work deeply in partnership with local communities around criminal justice, the opioid crisis, and the politics surrounding displacement. This Fellowship track offers an opportunity for one artist/curator to create an exhibition and related programming exploring social, political, and/or cultural content that engages local communities in and external to the DVAA space.
The Linda Lee Alter Track
Created to honor Lee Alter, a renowned Philadelphia artist, collector, philanthropist, and founder of the Leeway Foundation, the Linda Lee Alter track annually provides an opportunity for one queer artist/curator each year to create an exhibition and related programming that explores connection, transformation, liberation, and LGBTQ+ narratives.
*The Severo Antonelli Fellowship provided opportunities for individual artists to develop a fully realized solo exhibition in 2019 and 2020 only. Named for one of DVAA's 9 immigrant founders, Severo Antonelli, was a community leader and internationally renowned photographer and visual artist. Founded as a space of creative refuge, this fellowship track honors DVAA's original mission by providing one Philadelphia-based visual artist working in any medium with a full solo exhibition focused on their body of work.