Impact Initiatives

Four women are seated on a stage with a screen behind them. The screen is red with white text and reads "A Discussion on Pay Equity in the Arts." — *2023 Panel Discussion on Pay Equity in the Arts with Dr. Tania Aparicio, LaKeisha M.A. Caton, and Gillian Gualtieri, PhD. Moderated by Jessica L. Porter, Lila Harnett, Executive Director, ArtTable*

Impact Initiatives

With the vision of ArtTable founder Lila Harnett, ArtTable began in individual homes, at lunch and dinner tables in New York City in 1980, to give women “a seat at the table” in the field of visual arts. Today, through various programs, we educate and inform members and the public about significant developments and issues in the visual arts, support dialogue, and promote the evolving leadership role of women and nonbinary professionals in the arts. For a full description of ArtTable’s Impact Initiatives, click here.

In 2022, ArtTable established the Impact Initiatives Fund, which directly impacts the ArtTable Fellowship, Pay Equity Project, CareerRoundTable program, and our Mentorship Program, providing funding for our diversity, equity, inclusivity, and accessibility programming, and providing education and mentoring opportunities for early-career women and nonbinary professionals in our Affiliate Membership Program. Please help us make a difference by contributing to our Impact Initiatives Fund.

Click here to see ArtTable’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Action Plan, approved by ArtTable’s Board of Directors in May of 2021, and here to see ArtTable’s Strategic Plan for 2024-2027.

ArtTable Fellowship Program

The ArtTable Fellowship Program began in 2000 to address the marked lack of diversity in arts employment. This impactful initiative supports professionals from backgrounds that are generally underrepresented in the field, seeking career opportunities in visual arts organizations. During the paid, five-to-eight-week summer program, the Fellows will work closely with established leaders in the field to gain exposure to various professional activities at leading museums and art organizations. Fellows also receive one-on-one mentoring from leading professionals who are ArtTable members and are specialized in their areas of interest.

Through the generous support of individuals, foundations, corporations, and government agencies, ArtTable has supported 195 women and nonbinary fellows, partnered with 105 leading art organizations nationwide so far, and dispersed over $713,000 since the Fellowship’s inception.

The ArtTable Fellowship is open to applicants of all backgrounds. Applicants may be enrolled in undergraduate, graduate, or pre-/post-doc programs or have recently graduated. Individuals returning to the field, especially after a period of absence due to circumstances such as elder care, early parenting, or military service, are encouraged to apply.

2026 ArtTable Fellowship Program

Host Applications for the 2026 Fellowship cycle will open in December 2025.

Fellow Applications will open in early 2026.

To get the latest news of all of ArtTable’s Impact Initiatives, and to be notified of the opening of the Host and Fellow Application, please subscribe to our “Impact Initiatives” newsletter here.

Email [email protected] if you have any questions about the Fellowship program.

2025 Fellowship Supporters

The ArtTable Fellowship program is made possible thanks to the invaluable help of the following supporters:

Arison Arts Foundation
DOYLE
Helen Frankenthaler Foundation
Julie Armistead
Lila Harnett, Founder of ArtTable in 1980
Lenore G. Tawney Foundation
Leon Polk Smith Foundation

Past Fellows

Read more about ArtTable’s previous fellows and the projects they worked on here.

News From Our Fellows

Click here for updates from past ArtTable Fellows.

Facade: Tschabalala Self–Art Lovers: Opening Fall 2025
A new work for the New Museum’s facade by Tschabalala Self explores connection and romance through the lens of architecture and public space.

Tschabalala Self participated in the ArtTable Fellowship Program in 2014 at Artspace.

Marcela Guerrero and Drew Sawyer will curate the 2026 Whitney Biennial

Marcela Guerrero participated in the ArtTable Fellowship Program in 2005 at the Catherine Clark Gallery.

Alana Hernandez is currently working on a major contextual retrospective of Carmen Lomas Garza that will open in Spring 2026 at ASU Art Museum, where Alana is currently Senior Curator.

Alana Hernandez participated in the ArtTable Fellowship Program in 2015 at the Phoenix Museum of Art.

Mentorship Program

ArtTable’s Table for Two mentorship program connects members across generations, disciplines, and regions to foster meaningful one-on-one relationships that support career growth, leadership development, and community in the visual arts.

Through structured matches, mentors and mentees commit to meeting regularly over the course of a cycle, with ArtTable providing resources, check-ins, and opportunities for shared reflection. Participants gain valuable guidance, candid insights, and connections that strengthen both individual careers and the broader arts ecosystem.

Interested in becoming a mentor or mentee? Email [email protected] to learn more and sign up for the next cycle of Table for Two.

CareerRoundTable

In 2009, ArtTable launched the CareerRoundTable, one of our longest-standing and most impactful career mentoring programs, influencing the career paths of more than 2,000 students and emerging professionals.

The program, hosted virtually over two days, is designed to give emerging leaders in the visual arts an experience to meet with professionals in the visual arts to discuss career opportunities.

Career Roundtable Facilitators include, but are not limited to, the following roles:

Appraising
Art Advising
Art Fairs
Art Logistics (Shipping, Framing, Fabrication, etc.)
Art Law
Art Publishing
Auction Houses / Online Art Businesses
Collection Management / Registration / Archive / Art Conservation
Curator / Art Historian
DEIA in the Arts
Development / Fundraising
Gallerist / Dealer
Museum and Cultural Organization Leader
Public Programming / Education / Community Engagement
Public Relations / Marketing / Social Media

Every year, participants have the opportunity to gather in 6 different breakout rooms across 2 days via Zoom for open and engaged conversations with leading women and nonbinary professionals, to learn about their diverse career paths and experiences, to gain insights and advice for their career development, and to network and build future relationships with peers and mentors. This is also an opportunity for ArtTable members and the community to participate in a mentoring role.

2025 CareerRoundTable Partners

HELP US TO EXPAND THIS PROGRAM

Pay Equity

ArtTable conducted a survey to better understand compensation and compensation inequities in the arts, with a focus on gender and compensation.

Data in this area is woefully inaccessible and incomplete, and we aim to address some of these issues and contribute valuable knowledge to our community. Through this data collection, ArtTable was able to present its findings through 3 virtual workshops:

November 2023 | “The Cost of Working in the Arts”
February 2024 | “The Intersectionality of Race and Gender in the Artistic Labor Market”
May 2024 | “Parenting in the Artistic Labor Market: Results from ArtTable’s Pay Equity Survey”

The workshops provided a mechanism to distribute results through conversation and collaboration, advancing solutions and working toward gender parity. All sessions were free, open to the public, and supported through donations to ArtTable’s Impact Initiatives Fund.

The final report on ArtTable’s Pay Equity project, which incorporates all feedback from our virtual workshops, is now available free of charge. ArtTable members can also access the results through the membership portal. We continue to research, advocate, and educate about issues involving pay inequities in the visual arts.

This project was made possible by individuals, organizations, and grants that support our Impact Initiatives programs. We appreciate your support in continuing this important work.

Help us to expand on this project