Wayland Town Crier 8/16/11: Apply for a state artists' fellowship to help create new art. The Massachusetts Cultural Council is now accepting applications for Artists Fellowships in several categories including drawing, painting and traditional arts. The Artists Fellowships provide unrestricted support, including financial aid, to state residents for "exceptional original work" and to promote "creation of new art" in Massachusetts. In the categories of Drawing, Painting and Traditional Arts, applications became available Aug. 15. The application deadline is Oct. 7 and grants will be announced in February 2012. In the categories of Choreaography, Fiction / Creative Nonfiction and Poetry, applications will be available Dec. 15. The application deadline is Jan. 30, 2012 and the grants will be announced in June 2012. The Artist Fellowships provide competitive grants of $7,500 and finalist awards of $500. To be eligible, applicants must be 18-years-old or more and a legal resident of the state for two years at the time they applied. Artists who have received MCC Artist Fellowships over the last five years from 2007 to 2011 are ineligible. However finalists may reapply. Students enrolled in a degree program — or with pending degrees — directly related to the discipline in which they'd be seeking a fellowship are ineligible. For information about the MCC, call 617-727-3668.