PROOF Fellowship 2025
Print Residency Of Ohio’s Future
RESIDENCY DATES: MAY 28th - DECEMBER 20th, 2025
APPLICATION DEADLINE: 11:59pm APRIL 20th, 2025
Zygote Press is proud to offer our 2nd annual PROOF Fellowship program, a Fine Art Printmaking residency for Northeast Ohio Artists from historically underrepresented communities.The PROOF Fellowship is a six month residency program inspired by Zygote’s 2021-2023 BIPOC Fellowship artists-in-residence.
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.
A committee of independent artists and educators from similar communities will review applications and select six Northeast Ohio local artists to participate in the first PROOF Fellowship Cohort.
Fellowship Recipients will receive:
-Twenty Two hours of printmaking workshop instruction ($2,500)
-Ten hours of individual printmaking support ($500)
-Yearlong Zygote Community Membership
-Six Months of 24/7 Access to Zygote’s Printmaking Studio ($960)
-A locker and flat file for the duration of the Fellowship
-A $500.00 Stipend
-Participation in the 2026 PROOF Fellowship Exhibition
-Exhibition and Installation support.
The selected artists will be introduced to both contemporary and traditional printmaking techniques through a series of workshops led by Zygote Press teaching artists and former PROOF Fellows. The workshop sessions will be scheduled on Saturday mornings. Our 2025 PROOF Workshop Schedule will be announced in April.
Additionally, PROOF Fellows will have ongoing 24/7 access to Zygote’s Printmaking Studio for the duration of the fellowship. Zygote will also host mentoring sessions and peer critiques for Fellows to hone their printmaking craft, talk about their work and focus their artistic research.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: 11:59pm April 20th, 2025
All application materials below must be in a single PDF file no larger than 10MB.
To apply, email the following materials to michael@zygotepress.org :
(1) Letter of interest/project proposal (500 word limit)
(2) A portfolio of recent work (10-20 images)
(3) Short Bio (one paragraph limit)
(4) Artist Statement
(5) Resume or CV
PROOF Fellowship Course Schedule 2025
Primary supplies for all workshops will be provided by Zygote Press. All Fellows will be responsible for bringing a sketchbook, and preferred drawing materials. On the occasion that additional supplies are required, the workshop instructor or print shop manager will reach out to all PROOF Fellows two weeks prior to the given workshop.
May
Relief Printing Section
Week 1:
May 25th- May 31st, 2025
Wednesday 5/28: 3pm-5pm Orientation Session with Zygote Staff.Tour.Intro To Print.
Saturday 5/31: 10am-1:30pm Intro to Relief Printing Workshop
June
Week 2:
June 1st-7th, 2025
Wednesday 6/4: 1pm-5pm or 5pm-9pm Attend Open Studio (Optional).
Friday 6/6: 5pm-8pm Attend Queer Print Exhibition Reception @ Zygote (Optional)
Saturday 6/7: 10am-1:30pm Intro to Relief Printing pt.2
Week 3:
June 8th-14th, 2025
Wednesday 6/11: 1pm-5pm or 5pm-9pm Attend Open Studio (Optional)
Saturday 6/14: 10am-4pm Intro to Letterpress
Week 4:
June 15th-21st, 2025
Friday 6/20: 5pm-10pm Attend Zygote Summer Solstice Benefit (Optional)
Saturday 6/21: 10am-2pm Check-in Sessions. Individual 30 min/artist
Stencil Printing Section
Week 5:
June 22nd-28th, 2025
Wednesday 6/26: 1pm-5pm or 5pm-9pm. Attend Open Studio Session (Optional)
Saturday 6/28: 10am-4pm Intro To Screen Printing
July
Week 6:
June 29th-July 5th, 2025
Wednesday 7/2: 1pm-5pm or 5pm-9pm. Attend Open Studio Session (Optional)
Saturday 7/5: 10am-4pm Intro to Risograph Printing
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
Week 8:
July 13th- 19th, 2025
Wednesday 7/16: 1pm-5pm or 5pm-9pm. Attend Open Studio Session (Optional)
Saturday 7/19: 10am-2pm Group Critique 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
August
Planographic Printing Section
Week 10:
July 27th - August 2nd, 2025
Wednesday 7/31: 1pm-5pm or 5pm-9pm. Attend Open Studio Session (Optional)
Saturday 8/3: 10am-2pm Intro to lithography pt 1 w/ Michael Whitehead
Week 11:
August 3rd - August 9th, 2025
Wednesday 8/6: 1pm-5pm or 5pm-9pm. Attend Open Studio Session (Optional)
Saturday 8/9: 10am-2pm Intro to lithography pt 2 w/ Michael Whitehead
Intaglio Printing Section
Week 12:
August 10th - August 16th, 2025
Wednesday 8/13: 1pm-5pm or 5pm-9pm. Attend Open Studio Session (Optional)
Saturday 8/16: 10am-2pm 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-2pm 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.
September
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
October
Saturday 10/11: 10am-12pm Group Critique 3 w/ Michael & Ben
Saturday 10/25: 10am-2pm Individual Check In Sessions
November
Saturday 11/15: 10am-12pm Group Critique 4 w/ Michael & Ben
Saturday 11/22: 10am-12pm Final Check In Sessions. Complete Fellowship Survey.
December
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
These dates and the teaching artists assigned to each workshop have been finalized and confirmed as of March 27, 2025. Some changes may be made to the schedule throughout the course of programming to add guest speakers, mentoring sessions, and process demos based on the needs of our PROOF Fellows and to accommodate other Zygote Press Community Programs.