Artists Futures Fund announces its 2026–27 Breakthrough Artist Fellowship cohort
'Royal Baths' by Paulina Kurzydlowska, AFF Artist Fellow, 2026/27
Eight emerging artists across England and Wales will receive ten months of sustained financial, practical and professional support to develop their creative practices.
Artists Futures Fund (AFF) is delighted to announce the eight artists selected for its 2026–27 Breakthrough Artist Fellowship:
Andrew Gardner — Swansea College of Art, University of Wales Trinity Saint David
Paulina Kurzydlowska — Liverpool Hope University
Alana Leeming — City of Portsmouth College
Giorgia Mitchell — Loughborough University
Ollie Panton — Chichester College Group
Flea (Phoebe) Spiers — Cardiff School of Art & Design
Sophie Sweeney — University of Sunderland
Matylda Wojtal — Manchester Metropolitan University
The Breakthrough Artist Fellowship supports talented emerging visual artists facing significant economic, social, cultural, physical or mental-health barriers to sustaining their creative practice.
Beginning in October 2026, each Fellow will receive a £10,000 unrestricted stipend, full-time access to studio space and facilities through their host institution, individual mentoring, professional development and opportunities to exhibit their work. Fellows will also become part of AFF’s growing national network of artists, partners and alumni.
The programme provides artists with time, financial security, space and sustained support during the critical period following formal education. Over ten months, the Fellows will be encouraged to experiment, develop new work, build confidence and connections, and establish the foundations for sustainable creative futures.
The 2026–27 programme is delivered in partnership with eight higher and further education institutions across England and Wales: Cardiff School of Art & Design; Chichester College Group; Liverpool Hope University; Loughborough University; Manchester Metropolitan University; City of Portsmouth College; University of Sunderland; and Swansea College of Art, University of Wales Trinity Saint David.
This year also marks the launch of AFF’s first Further Education Fellowship, delivered as a pilot partnership with City of Portsmouth College. The initiative extends access to sustained support beyond university graduates, opening the Fellowship to emerging talent progressing from further education.
Olivia Mason, Director of Artists Futures Fund, said:
“We are thrilled to welcome Andrew, Paulina, Alana, Giorgia, Ollie, Flea, Sophie and Matylda as our 2026–27 Breakthrough Artist Fellows. Each artist brings a distinctive practice, perspective and creative ambition to the programme.
At a point when financial pressures and unequal access to space, networks and opportunities make it increasingly difficult for emerging artists to continue, sustained support can be transformative.
The Fellowship creates the conditions artists need to focus on their work: time, space, financial support, mentoring and a community around them. We look forward to seeing how each Fellow’s practice develops over the coming ten months.”
The new cohort works across a rich range of media and approaches, encompassing painting, sculpture, installation, moving image, photography and interdisciplinary practice. Their work explores subjects including identity, perception, memory, place, materiality, technology and the relationship between personal experience and wider social conditions.
The Fellowship will culminate in regional exhibition opportunities and a co-curated group showcase in London, giving the artists a platform to present work developed during the programme to new audiences and the wider cultural sector.
Since launching its Fellowship programme in 2020, Artists Futures Fund has supported more than 50 emerging visual artists and awarded over £500,000 in financial support. Its alumni continue to develop ambitious creative practices, exhibit their work and contribute to cultural and educational life across the UK.
To meet the 2026–27 Fellows and discover more about their work, visit:
www.artistsfuturesfund.org/2026-27-fellows
About Artists Futures Fund
Artists Futures Fund is an independent charity supporting talented emerging visual artists facing significant barriers to building sustainable creative futures.
Founded in 1810 and incorporated by Royal Charter in 1827, the charity was formerly known as the Artists’ Benevolent Fund. Today, it provides financial support, studio access, mentoring, professional development, exhibition opportunities and access to networks through its annual Breakthrough Artist Fellowship.
Artists Futures Fund believes that economic hardship, disability, mental-health challenges and other forms of disadvantage should never prevent artists from developing their creative practices and contributing to the UK’s cultural landscape.
The 2026–27 Breakthrough Artist Fellowship
The Fellowship runs from October 2026 to July 2027. Each Fellow receives:
A £10,000 unrestricted stipend
Full-time studio access and use of technical facilities
Individual mentoring
A structured professional-development programme
Public and community engagement opportunities
Regional and London exhibition opportunities
Membership of AFF’s alumni network and continued support beyond the Fellowship
Further information: www.artistsfuturesfund.org
Press enquiries:
Olivia Mason, Director
olivia@artistsfuturesfund.org