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.