About the Lyric McHenry Community Arts Fellowship

Within the first 4 years of this Fellowship, we have awarded 21 students with over $175,500 in summer funding. These students have held impactful positions at large arts companies and community-based arts organizations supporting arts at the intersection of social justice.

Lyric McHenry fellows work with an arts organization or a community-based organization using the arts to further racial/social justice. With the help of IDA staff, CAF Fellows will determine a course of research and preparation for their summer learning experience. Applicants must propose their own placements with organizations with whom they have corresponded before the application deadline, and effectively demonstrate that their intended partner is a well-run organization where they will receive adequate guidance and supervision. Fellows assist in building and maintaining relationships with these arts organizations and the communities in which they are based. Recent Fellows have worked with the Laundromat Project, Mural Music & Arts Project, Katina Parker's film project on Ferguson and Black Lives Matter, Scene and Heard (North London, UK), Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles, Art of the Soul (Gaborone, Botswana), Rashaad Newsome Studios, and more.

Each Lyric McHenry Community Arts Fellow receives a base stipend of $7,500 award to support travel and living expenses during the summer. Financial aid and supplemental funding up to $9,000 total are available to students who qualify.

This program is named and funded in honor of Lyric McHenry (Stanford ‘14). While at Stanford, Lyric McHenry interned at IDA, majored in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, and performed in and directed a number of theater productions. Lyric’s appreciation for the effect of the arts in the fight for social justice propelled her dedication to writing and producing. Her unique talent for uplifting others showed itself in an infectious ability to support and empower those around her, speak up for what she believed in, and create art that shed light on racial inequity and identity. Lyric brought curiosity, brilliance, and warmth to everything she did. In honor of Lyric’s passion for the arts and social justice, the Lyric McHenry Community Arts Fellowship gives students the opportunity to spend a summer working full time in the areas of curating, presenting, outreach and/or arts education with a focus on racial/social justice issues. Fellows may work in the United States or abroad.

Apply

Information for Stanford students on how to apply can be found at the button below.

Contact Info

Please direct inquiries and collaborations to lmcaf@googlegroups.com