54 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ARTISTS RECEIVE $560,000 IN CALIFORNIA ARTS COUNCIL FELLOWSHIPS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Artists across three counties in Southern California receive open opportunities and unrestricted grants from 5,000 to 50,000 dollars!
Media contact: Alejandro Gutierrez Chavez | alejandro@artsconnectionnetwork.org
54 FELLOWS | 328 APPLICANTS | 3 COUNTIES | $5,000-$50,000 AWARDS
54 artists from Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties have been chosen for the 2026 California Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowships! Selected from a competitive pool of 328 regional applicants, the fellows will receive more than $560,000 in open awards to advance their artistic endeavors.
The fellowship program recognizes and celebrates artistic excellence across multiple practices while affirming artists' leadership in the evolution of California's traditional and contemporary cultures. These awards will support a broad spectrum of artists from communities of all sizes and may be used where fellows determine the support will have the greatest impact.
Awards were made in three tiers: Emerging Artists receive $5,000, Established Artists receive $10,000, and Legacy Artists receive $50,000.
Artists and Fellowships were handed out through a peer-review panel of artists, arts administrators, arts educators, and arts funders from the participating counties. The application fell in from April 2nd through May 15th, 2026. The Review Panels completed their selections by June 19, 2026.
Arts Connection—The Arts Council of San Bernardino County, participated in the Region 7 consortium with Arts Orange County and Riverside Arts Council. Together, the three county arts councils led local outreach and helped ensure regional representation throughout the fellowship process.
2026 REGION 7 FELLOWS
San Bernardino County (15 Fellows)
Legacy fellow ($50,000 each): Adeola Davies-Aiyeloja
Established fellows ($10,000 each): Cindy Bernard; Cesar Garcia; Vanessa Gomez; Duan Kellum; Alejandro "Man One" Poli, Jr.; Heidi Schwegler; Danielle Wallis; Carolyn Pennypacker Riggs
Emerging fellows ($5,000 each): Brandon Allen; Anthony McCann; Candace E Pearson; Isabel Quintero-Flores; Elaine Talamaivao; Zebulon Zang
Orange County (20 Fellows)
Legacy fellows ($50,000 each): Jose Hernandez; Alicia Rojas
Established fellows ($10,000 each): Lisa Alvarez; Brian Dehn; Tara Ghassemieh; Sakina Ibrahim; Dimple Malhotra; Carla Roque
Emerging fellows ($5,000 each): Yoliztli Flores; Xue Han; Sarah Johnston; Alisa Khodos; Kacie Lyn Martinez; Salina Mendoza; Boroka Nagy; Sarah Nguyen; Lauren Nunez; Namrata Poddar; Michael Tran; Dorothy Xiao
Riverside County (19 Fellows)
Legacy fellows ($50,000 each): Loriann Hernandez
Established fellows ($10,000 each): Allyson Allen; Patrick Barwinski; Maryam Crogman; Cherie Hill; Andrea Lopez; Alejandro Mirandé; Juan Navarro; Carlos Puma
Emerging fellows ($5,000 each): Matthew Balane; James Coats; Denise Cortes; Caroline Espinoza; Lenore Hamel; Wendi Johnson; Isabella Madrigal; Sophia Madrigal; Sarah Wilson; STUDIO X
ABOUT THE REGION 7 CONSORTIUM
Region 7 serves artists residing in Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties through a consortium of Arts Orange County, Riverside Arts Council, and Arts Connection- The Arts Council of San Bernardino County.
Artists residing outside Region 7 are served through other California Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship regions. Learn more at arts.ca.gov.
