The Don Bachardy Fellowship

About the Open Call

The Don Bachardy Fellowship, named after Californian portrait painter Don Bachardy, enables a gifted and dedicated post-graduate artist from outside the United Kingdom to attend the Royal Drawing School during the Summer Term each year. It is designed to support an emerging artist and nurture observational drawing as a foundational skill. Past recipients have come from diverse international backgrounds including the US, Syria, Chile, and Brazil. The program takes place at the Royal Drawing School's Shoreditch campus, located in the heart of East London’s art, design, and fashion scene, providing access to London’s vibrant art scene and dedicated postgraduate studios.

What is Offered

The 2026 Don Bachardy Fellowship runs from April 27 to July 4, 2026, at the Royal Drawing School in London. The fellow receives a $5,000 stipend to assist with travel and accommodation costs, granted in two installments. For ten weeks, the fellow will spend three full days per week drawing alongside students from The Drawing Year and Public Programme courses. The program offers a distinguished faculty of over 75 practising artists and allows the fellow to curate their own curriculum from over 60 drawing courses, including drawing on location in London, life drawing, drawing from art in major museums and galleries, and intaglio printmaking. Fellows also have the opportunity to attend the school’s lecture series, featuring conversations with leading contemporary artists and art history lectures.

Requirements

The Don Bachardy Fellowship is open to international artists who have studied at MA level only. Artists from the UK or those who have studied and lived in the UK are not eligible to apply. Artists who have previously studied at the Royal Drawing School are also ineligible. Applicants must demonstrate evidence of observational drawing in their practice.

How to Apply

Submit your Don Bachardy Fellowship application via the provided link. Applications will be reviewed in late November and shortlisted applicants will be invited for interview via Zoom on Friday 5 December.