MacDowell is proud to announce three new Fellowships, each created to support future generations of artists. These gifts sustain our long-standing tradition of providing artists with time, space, and resources—free of financial barriers. Through the generosity of friends and members of the MacDowell community, we ensure that creativity is sustained and nourished, so it may continue to flourish for years to come.
We are honored to carry forward the legacies of the many artists who have come through MacDowell and look forward to seeing how future Fellows will build upon these enduring gifts to enrich our global artistic landscape.
The Nan Tull Fellowship for Visual Artists, Est. 2025
MacDowell is honored to announce the establishment of the Nan Tull Fellowship for Visual Artists, created by the family of MacDowell Fellow Nan Tull Wezniak to nurture the next generation of female artists.
Nan Tull Wezniak (1937-2023) was an extraordinary encaustic painter and creator of large-scale charcoal drawings, admired for her mastery of form and dedication to her craft. A two-time MacDowell Fellow (‘91, ‘94), Tull’s work was featured in more than 35 solo exhibitions and two retrospectives at the Boston Public Library and the Danforth Museum of Art. A lifelong learner and devoted artist, Tull studied at Wellesley College, the École du Louvre in Paris, and Stanford University, and later earned degrees and later earned degrees from the University of Tennessee, Foothill Collperege, and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University. A founding member of Boston’s 249 A Street artists’ cooperative, she worked there for over 40 years, sharing her generosity, talent, and spirit with all who knew her.
MacDowell is deeply grateful to the Tull Wezniak family for honoring Nan’s remarkable legacy and for their commitment to supporting women in the visual arts. Through this fellowship, her passion for creativity and lifelong devotion to the arts will continue to inspire future generations.
The Brandt Jackson Foundation Fellowship for Playwrights, Est. 2024
MacDowell proudly celebrates the Brandt Jackson Foundation Fellowship for Playwrights, made possible by Penny Brandt Jackson and Thomas Campbell Jackson through the Brandt Jackson Foundation. This fellowship supports one female playwright each year, covering the full cost of a MacDowell residency.
Penny Brandt Jackson—a novelist, playwright, screenwriter, and Pushcart Prize–winning author—has long been a vibrant part of the MacDowell community. During her own residency, she worked on L.A. Child, the title story of which later won the Pushcart Prize and inspired her first screenplay, My Dinner with Schwartzey. Her plays have been produced in New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, Dublin, and Edinburgh, and her films have been featured in numerous festivals.
MacDowell extends heartfelt thanks to the Brandt Jackson Foundation for their generous support of women playwrights and their ongoing belief in the transformative power of storytelling. The fellowship’s inaugural recipient, Mfoniso Udofia (2024), exemplifies the creative excellence and vision this award seeks to encourage.
The Pondsold-Motherwell Fellowship for Visual Artists, Est. 2024
MacDowell is honored to announce the Robert Motherwell and Renate Ponsold Fellowship, a permanently endowed fellowship with a stipend that will support one Fellow annually in perpetuity. This fellowship is a lasting homage to artists Ponsold and Motherwell, and their prolific contributions to the field, while ensuring ongoing support for innovation, experimentation, and advancement of contemporary visual art.
Robert Motherwell (1915–1991) was awarded the 1985 Edward MacDowell Medal in recognition for his outstanding contribution to the field of visual art. Motherwell was a pioneering American painter, printmaker, and editor—one of the youngest members of the New York School. A Stanford and Harvard alumnus, Motherwell’s engagement with literature, philosophy, and Surrealism profoundly shaped his art and established him as one of the leading voices of postwar abstraction. Renate Ponsold specialized in the photography of artists and exhibited her work across the United States and Europe. This fellowship is made possible by the generosity of the Ponsold Motherwell Charitable Trust.
MacDowell extends its deepest gratitude to the Ponsold–Motherwell Charitable Trust for this enduring investment in artists and for ensuring that Motherwell and Ponsold’s commitment to creative exploration continues to enrich the global arts landscape for generations to come.
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To learn more about named fellowships at MacDowell, and ways to support future Fellows, visit our Fellowships and Stipends page or contact Jericho Parms, Chief Advancement Officer, jparms@macdowell.org / (212) 535-9690
