MacDowell, the nation’s first artist residency program, has awarded 134 Fellowships to visionary artists working across seven disciplines for its Spring Summer 2026 season. The program is located in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Between March and August of 2026, each artist has an average stay of four weeks. These artists were selected from a competitive pool of 2,618 applicants with an acceptance rate of only 5 percent. During their time at MacDowell, Fellows are granted the gift of uninterrupted focus, supported by a private studio, comfortable accommodations, and three thoughtfully prepared meals each day. “MacDowell is a safe haven for artists from around the world,” says Courtney Bethel, MacDowell’s Admissions Director. “I’m thrilled that we received applications from artists in all 50 U.S. states, along with Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, and 71 countries. In the current political climate, it’s especially meaningful to create opportunities for artists to build connections and foster community at both the national and global levels.”
Lovell received a fellowship in Visual Arts. Lovell is a gender-fluid artist and licensed private investigator based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They hold a BFA from Rochester Institute of Technology, an MFA from California College of the Arts, and are currently a Principal Lecturer at the University of New Mexico. Lovell’s work on No Trespassing (where she surreptitiously documented her estranged father) and Dear Erin Hart (where she found, followed, and photographed her identity thief) led her to obtain her private investigator’s license. Lovell’s work has been featured by media outlets such as Hyperallergic, Wired, This American Life, the Today Show, BBC World News, and many more.
They are the recipient of several awards, including the Aperture Portfolio Prize and the Center for Teaching Excellence in Teaching Award, and were recently a Center for Teaching Excellence Fellow at UNM. Lovell is currently integrating her skills as a private investigator into
her artistic practices as an ongoing conceptual art piece, titled D.I.Y. P.I. (Do It Yourself Private
Investigation), and works with the internationally known performance troupe La Pocha Nostra as
a producer and performer.
Jessamyn writes, “MacDowell, the country’s first artist residency, publicly announced last week
the 134 artists across disciplines selected as 2026 fellows and I am a recipient! I was floored to
see in their press release that 2,618 artists applied. I am honored to be attending this highly
competitive residency in Peterborough, NH this summer where I will work in their darkroom,
live in community with other artists and participate in their annual Medal Day celebration.
The Kickstarter campaign for my book How to Become Invisible launched yesterday. It is
CRITICAL to support radical art projects like mine that challenge the status quo and oppressive
systems so please contribute what you can. It’s a complex body of work that is ideally suited
for the book format. I’m so grateful to have Workshop Arts and Luminosity Lab as publishing
partners. Please consider pledging support today.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
EXPLORE the work of Jessamyn Lovell by following on Instagram @filmnotdead.
LEARN MORE at https://www.macdowell.org/news/macdowell-awards-134-spring-summer-2026-fellowships-to-artists-working-across-disciplines and https://jessamynlovell.com/portfolio/previous/index.htmlhttps://lenscratch.com/2026/02
SUPPORT the Kickstarter campaign at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jessamynlovell/how-to-become-invisible
