PROOF Fellowship

A 9 month fine art printmaking residency for Northeast Ohio Artists from historically underrepresented communities. The PROOF Fellowship was inspired by Zygote’s 2021-2023 BIPOC Fellowship artist in residence.

About PROOF

The PROOF Fellowship offers non-printmaking artists from BIPOC communities an opportunity to learn a variety of printmaking techniques including silkscreen, monoprint, relief, intaglio, lithography and RISO.

PROOF Fellows are introduced to both contemporary and traditional printmaking techniques through a series of workshops led by Zygote Press teaching artists and former fellowship recipients. For the duration of the Fellowship program, selected artists have 24/7 access to Zygote’s Printmaking Studio. Zygote also offers mentoring sessions and peer critiques for Fellows to hone their craft, discuss their work and focus their artistic research toward their individual goals.

PROOF Fellowship Class of 2026

Fellows will receive

22 hours of printmaking workshop instruction ($2,500)
10 hours of individual printmaking support ($500)
Year-long Zygote ArtsPass membership
Six months of 24/7 access to Zygote’s printmaking studio ($960)
A locker and flat file for duration of fellowship
A $500.00 stipend
Mentoring sessions + peer critiques
Participation in annual PROOF Fellowship exhibition
Exhibition and installation support
Ongoing 24/7 access to Zygote’s printmaking studio for duration of fellowship

Artist Talk: PROOF Fellowship Class of 2026

Application requirements

Application for the current PROOF Fellowship has closed. Please check back during summer 2027 for the next application cycle.

All application materials below must be in a single PDF file no larger than 10MB. To apply, email the following materials to elyse@zygotepress.org.

Letter of interest/project proposal (500 word limit)
A portfolio of recent work (10-20 images)
Short bio (one paragraph limit)
Artist statement
Resume or CV

PROOF Fellowship Sample Schedule

Week 1:
Wednesday 5/28: 3pm-5pm Orientation Session with Zygote Staff. Tour. Intro To Print.
Saturday 5/31:10am-1pm Intro to Relief w/ Michael Whitehead, Anastasia Malone & Ryan Harri
Week 2:
Wednesday 6/4: 1pm-5pm or 5pm-9pm Attend Open Studio (Optional).
Friday 6/6: 5pm-8pm Attend Queer Print Exhibition Reception at Zygote (Optional)
Saturday 6/7: 10am-1pm Intro to Relief pt.2 w/Michael Whitehead, Anastasia Malone, & Ryan Harris
Week 3:
Wednesday 6/11: 1pm-5pm or 5pm-9pm Attend Open Studio (Optional)
Saturday 6/14:‍ ‍10am-4pm Intro to Letterpress w/ Brittany Hudak & RA Washington
Week 5:
June 22nd-28th, 2025
Wednesday 6/26: 1pm-5pm or 5pm-9pm. Attend Open Studio Session (Optional)
Saturday 6/28: 10am-1pm Intro To Screen Printingw/ Paul Serrianne & Ryan Harris
Week 6:
June 29th-July 5th, 2025
Wednesday 7/2: 1pm-5pm or 5pm-9pm. Attend Open Studio Session (Optional)
Saturday 7/5: 10am-1pm Intro to Risograph Printing w/ Anna Tararova
Week 7:
July 6th-12th, 2025
Wednesday 7/8: 1pm-5pm or 5pm-9pm. Attend Open Studio Session (Optional)
Saturday 7/12: 10am-2pm Intro To Monotype w/ Chandler Mack & Anastasia Malone
Week 8:
July 13th- 19th, 2025
Wednesday 7/16: 1pm-5pm or 5pm-9pm. Attend Open Studio Session (Optional)
Saturday 7/19: 10am-2pm Critique Session 1
Week 9:
July 20th - 26th, 2025
Wednesday 7/23: 1pm-5pm or 5pm-9pm. Attend Open Studio Session (Optional)
Saturday 7/26: 10am-2:30pm Check-in Sessions. Individual. 30 min/artist
Week 10:
July 27th - August 2nd, 2025
Wednesday 7/31: 1pm-5pm or 5pm-9pm. Attend Open Studio Session (Optional)
Saturday 8/3: 10am-1pmIntro to lithography pt 1 w/ Michael Whitehead & Thao Nguyen
Week 11:
August 3rd - August 9th, 2025
Wednesday 8/6: 1pm-5pm or 5pm-9pm. Attend Open Studio Session (Optional)
Saturday 8/9: 10am-1pm Intro to lithography pt 2w/ Michael Whitehead & Thao Nguyen
Week 12:
August 10th - August 16th, 2025
Wednesday 8/13: 1pm-5pm or 5pm-9pm. Attend Open Studio Session (Optional)
Saturday 8/16: 10am-1pm Intro to Intaglio pt. 1 w/ Michael Whitehead
Week 13:
August 17th- August 23rd
Wednesday 8/20: 1pm-5pm or 5pm-9pm. Attend Open Studio Session (Optional)
Saturday 8/23: 10am-1pm Intro to Intaglio pt 2 w/ Michael Whitehead
Week 13 is the final week of Curriculum Programming. The following months of the PROOF Fellowship will have a looser schedule with 1-2 group sessions per month. Fellows will receive 10 hours of individual artistic support while working on their proposed projects. Artistic Support hours can be used for additional instruction in a given process or for editioning/printing help. Individual sessions will be scheduled through Michael Whitehead and arranged based on the Fellow’s schedule.

Saturday 9/13: 10am-12pm Group Critique 2
Saturday 9/20: 10am-12pm Project Planning Session 1
Saturday 9/27: 10am-12pm Project Planning Session 2
Saturday 10/11: 10am-12pm Group Critique 3
Saturday 10/25: 10am-2pm Individual Check In Sessions
Saturday 11/15: 10am-12pm Group Critique 4
Saturday 11/22: 10am-12pm Final Check In Sessions. Complete Fellowship Survey.
Begin Discussions for 2025 Fellowship Exhibition MARCH 2025
Saturday 12/6: 10am-12pm Exhibition Planning Session 1
Thursday 12/12: 10am-12pm Exhibition Planning Session 2

PROOF Fellowship Class of 2027

CHIMI is a Nigerian interdisciplinary artist whose storytelling, compositions, visual, improvisational and performance art build immersive, alter-like environments. With over a decade of an expansive collaborative practice, she is rediscovering stages and spaces as utilities of liberation. Her visual art, compositions, installations and performances have been exhibited and presented at Spaces Gallery, Waterloo Arts, Grace Exhibition Space, Harlan Levey Projects, New York Live Arts, Gallery Papillon, Abrons Art Center, and Festival Theaterformen.

AJA JOI GRANT is a photographer, printmaker and fiber artist documenting human stories of identity, liberation and cultural preservation in the Great Lakes region. Through her lens she documents members of her community and their methods of imagination, memory, movement and resistance as they navigate systems and build new paradigms for the future. Her practice expands from photography into printmaking and fiber art, exploring afro-surrealism through texture and color. She was the 2025 Cleveland Arts Prize Verge Fellow, 2023 Karamu Room in the House Fellow, and 2022 Cleveland Foundation Equity in the Arts Fellow. She has worked in art education for the last 8 years, teaching photography, alternative process, and printmaking.

SONAVI JETHRA is a multidisciplinary artist from Cleveland, OH. Currently they are completing their BFA in Sculpture and Expanded Media and BA in Psychology from Kent State University. Their practice focuses on creating interactive pieces that question human interactions and connections from an analytical lens.

CECILIA LI is a Cleveland-based, Asian-American multidisciplinary artist and professional animator working across mixed media, murals, and digital installation. She came to printmaking through a residency at Future Ink Graphics, where her work was later featured in Women Who Print. Her recent work traces a deepening connection to nature and her journey into motherhood. Cecilia is eager to join the PROOF cohort to expand her printmaking practice and build a sustained new body of work.

ERIN MOORE (she/her) is a Cleveland-based artist who creates experimental paintings with sculptural and interactive elements. In a time when everyone is constantly waiting for their next milestone, Moore encourages her audience to slow down and see value in the easily overlooked, ignored, and forgotten moments of every day. Her work leaves viewers asking themselves if they are truly living life or just waiting through it.

ALEXANDER WADLEY is a photographer born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. With a background in photojournalism, Alexander uses photography and videography to tell tories of human connection and community, with the belief that people’s stories can be told thoroughly, respectfully and artistically. This is especially true for communities that have been historically underrepresented and misrepresented.