Gyo Obata Fellowship for Arts Administration
The Gyo Obata Fellowship strives to create opportunities for more diverse, inclusive, and equitable access to the arts community as a whole, and specifically, in the fields of arts administration and management in St. Louis, MO. Must have residency in St. Louis metro area, either permanent or through school.
Gyo Obata Fellows -- a group diverse in both identity and areas of study -- will be employed for a period of 10-weeks in one of several different local nonprofit arts organizations. Applications open on January 5, 2026.
Fellows will, in addition to gaining on-the-job training and meaningful exposure to local nonprofit arts organizations, also take part in the following:
● Meet weekly as a group (the “cohort”) for onsite visits to all Fellow host organizations.
● Take part in regular professional development workshops and cultural/social outings.
● Be mentored by a local arts administrator outside of the host organization.
Term: The Gyo Obata Fellowship is a full-time, 10-week position (40 hours per week) beginning Monday, June 1, 2026 and ending Friday, August 7, 2026. Fellows receive a stipend as outlined in the paragraph below.
Stipend: The $8,000 stipend (equivalent of $20/hour for program duration) is divided into three payments and is based on the expectation – in good faith – that all Fellows will complete the full duration of the program. The first payment ($1,000) is issued after week two of the program. The second payment ($3,500) is issued after week five of the program, and the third payment ($3,500) is issued after the completion of week 10 of the program.
Site Visits: Over the course of the Fellowship, the cohort will make site visits to all participating host organizations. These visits will offer Fellows an opportunity to learn about the work of their peers and the mission, programming, and infrastructure of a broader cross-section of St. Louis arts organizations. Site visits may take the form of tours, performances, workshops, or panel discussions with staff. The structure of each visit is left up to the host organization and its Fellow, who decide together what approach best represents and works best for each particular organization.
Professional Development: An integral component of the Fellowship is participation in the professional development series. The Fellowship administrator will host weekly professional development sessions, intended to afford Fellows the opportunity to speak with, hear from, and network with leaders in the St. Louis public arts community.
Fellow Eligibility
While the Gyo Obata Fellowship is intended for students from backgrounds underrepresented in public arts administration and community at large, the Foundation encourages eligible candidates from all backgrounds to apply for consideration. The Gateway Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of any protected trait under the law.
Candidates are sought from all areas of undergraduate study at any institution of higher education – trade school, community college, public or private university—and are not required to have demonstrated a previous commitment to the arts.
Applicants should:
● Be a member of a group underrepresented in careers related to public arts administration – among other things – race/ethnicity, gender, gender identification, sexual orientation, national origin, native language, socioeconomic status, cultural background, physical or other disability, citizenship status, religion, and/or any life experiences that add a diverse and underrepresented perspective.
● Be actively enrolled as a full-time undergraduate in either a bachelor’s or an associate’s degree program. Students must have completed at least one semester or two quarters of college by June. Students who graduated the semester or quarter immediately before the internship begins are also eligible. (Students who are enrolled in a second BA or BS program are not eligible.)
● Attend college in or be a permanent resident of the St. Louis Metropolitan Area and be a United States citizen or permanent resident (non-citizen authorized to live and work in the United States on a permanent basis, also known as a "green card" holder). Students with DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival) status valid through the internship period are also eligible.
How to Apply
Applicants are required to complete and submit the online Gyo Obata Fellowship application form (which includes uploading a Personal Statement, Transcript(s), and Letters of Recommendation) by 11:59p.m. CST on February 2, 2026. Materials received after the deadline will not be accepted and will result in an incomplete application.
Application Website: https://gateway-foundation.org/gyo/
Application Materials
Personal Statement
Upload a personal statement of no more than 500 words (approximately 2 typed pages, double-spaced). The personal statement should address the following points:
● The Gyo Obata Fellowship program envisions an equitable field of arts administration. What interests you most about this program? As part of your response, please elaborate on what diverse perspective(s) you represent and why that representation is important in the field of arts management.
● Please share how your job, life, and academic experiences (which may also include extracurriculars, school clubs, or volunteer groups) have shaped your interest in pursuing a career in the arts / arts administration.
● Share specific future career or educational avenues you are interested in exploring, and how you feel this Fellowship will help you achieve these goals.
Resume
Please upload an up-to-date copy of your resume, no longer than 2 pages. Resumes should include academic and job experience, and may also include honors and awards, volunteer experience, exhibitions or performances, publications, extracurriculars, and club affiliations. Multiple-page resumes must be combined into a single PDF before uploading.
Transcript(s)
Please upload an up-to-date copy of your transcript(s). Transcript(s) must record at least one semester or two quarters of college/university (occurring in the Fall of 2024) by the time of application. College/university here refers to bachelor's degree program or associate's degree program below the baccalaureate level. If you have transferred in the past year, you must also include a transcript from your previous college/university. If you graduated from a school outside of the United States, transcripts may be substituted with proof of completed courses and/or copies of diploma(s). Multiple transcripts must be combined into a single PDF before uploading. Please be aware that we may request hard copies of official transcript(s) later in the evaluation process.
Letters of Recommendation (2)
Applicants must have two confidential letters of recommendation submitted directly by their recommenders through the application system. Letters must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. CST on February 2, 2026. Typically, the most appropriate recommenders are college/university faculty members who can address your academic performance. Other recommenders may include past or current employers who are familiar with applicant’s relevant skills and abilities.
To request letters of recommendation, applicants will provide the name and contact information of your recommenders in the "Letters of Recommendation" section of the online application. The Gateway Foundation will contact your recommenders via email through the application system.
For Recommenders: please state how long you have known the applicant and in what capacity. The Foundation seeks insight into the candidate’s abilities in the following areas: academic performance, research and writing skills, curiosity, and ability to take initiative, interpersonal skills, and dependability
Selection Process & Timeline
The Gyo Obata Fellowship is designed to promote and advance diversity in arts management and seeks candidates from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in associated careers. In its review of candidates, the Foundation will give preference to, but not limit consideration to, applicants with underrepresented race/ethnicity, gender, gender identification, sexual orientation, national origin, native language, socioeconomic status, cultural background, physical or other disability, citizenship status, religion, and/or any life experiences that add a diverse and underrepresented perspective.
Selection Process
The Foundation awards Fellowship placements to both student and host organizations through a competitive application, interview, and selection process. Students are matched, whenever possible, with host organizations based on students’ interests and experiences/skills as they relate to the host organizations’ proposed projects. Host organizations and the students will have an opportunity to rank their preference. These preferences will influence the Fellow’s placement, but may not be solely determinative.
Schedule
The 2026 program dates are Monday, June 1, 2026, through Friday, August 7, 2026. All Fellows work full-time, for the entirety of the ten-week program at their respective arts organizations. Anticipated individualized daily work schedules will be set by the host organization and communicated to their respective Fellow and the Foundation following the matching process and again one week prior to the first day of work. The work schedule should remain the same for the duration of the Fellowship. Arts organizations must ensure that Fellows are available to attend scheduled broader Fellowship events, which occur approximately once per week. The dates of these activities will be provided by the Foundation to the organizations and should be incorporated into each Fellow’s work schedule.
Fellows should plan to be present for the entirety of the ten-week program. Should unforeseen circumstances arise, Fellows are to miss no more than three days of work (approximately 24 hours) during the ten-week Fellowship for sickness or bereavement. The Fellow may be paid for these three days. If more than three days of work are missed, hours will be made up at a time mutually acceptable to both the host organization and the Fellow. Should a Fellow miss more than three days and not 5 make up the missing hours, the Fellow will not be compensated for missed days and if absence(s) persist, the Fellowship may be terminated.
Timeline
January 5, 2026 Fellowship & Host Organization Applications Open
February 2, 2026 Fellowship & Host Organization Applications Close
February 23 - 27, 2026 Interviews with Fellow Finalists
Week of March 16, 2026 Placement Notifications sent to Selected Fellows and Host Organizations
April 2026 Supervisor & Mentor Orientation & Training
May 2026 Fellow Orientation & Training
June 1, 2026 Opening Ceremony
June 1 - August 7, 2026 Fellows work at host organization
August 7, 2026 Closing Ceremony