Model and Strategy
Headlands Center for the Arts is a multidisciplinary, international arts center, located in the Marin Headlands, dedicated to supporting artists; the creative process; and the development of new, innovative ideas and artwork. Widely regarded as a leader in the field, Headlands’ programs include artist residencies, fellowships, exhibitions, new commissions, public talks, and performances. For nearly 40 years, Headlands’ programs have responded to the greatest needs of practicing artists - time, space, money, validation, and community—with a particular emphasis on the Bay Area.
At Headlands, artists can immerse themselves in their practice and experiment with boundaries in their work. Headlands artists often engage with peers from other disciplines and connect with a network of cultural practitioners, the natural world, and the surrounding landscape.
Battery Powered support will help Headlands launch two new initiatives that have been years in planning:
- BAY AREA FELLOWSHIP. A new fellowship program for Bay Area artists, doubling down on Headlands’ support of the local arts ecosystem. Bay Area Fellows will work closely with program staff to frame their experience over the two-year program and will receive an annual stipend of $20,000, health insurance, and access to resources intended to support professional and project development. The program will begin with four Fellows in 2021 and grow to eight Fellows in 2022.
- THRESHOLD FELLOWSHIP. A new fellowship program that centers artists’ voices in some of the most pressing concerns of our time—providing $10,000 annual stipends and access to space, staff expertise, funds for project development, fabrication and travel, and a broad network of creative practitioners and institutional partners—to support specific projects. The program will begin with three Fellows in 2021; the inaugural cohort will be led by renowned climate scientist, author and podcaster Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson who is supporting cross-disciplinary exploration of the effects of climate change on urban coastal communities. Threshold Fellows make a yearlong commitment, with the opportunity to continue their fellowship up to three years. Each cohort will include at least one Bay Area artist.
Impact
Over the next two years, Headlands Center for the Arts, with support from Battery Powered, has the potential to deliver $500,000 in cash awards and direct payments to 100 artists, collectives, and/or creative practitioners, with 50-70% for Bay Area practitioners. This goal reflects a desire to increase existing award stipends by 50% or more (to an average of $5,000) and provide artists and fellows with additional support for materials, travel, and in some cases health insurance. Additionally, Headlands will launch two new fellowship models that prioritize high-quality, long-term engagements that are personalized, artist-initiated, foster collaboration and local community involvement.
Beyond these benchmarks, Headlands understands the effects of its work are wide-ranging—and, importantly, that they manifest and deepen over time, delivering long-term benefits not only to artists, but to the public, the National Park system, and the Bay Area cultural ecosystem.
Leadership
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Mari Robles
Executive Director