Art + Technology Lab Grant: 2026 Request for Proposals

Application Deadline: April 22, 2026, 11:59 PM Pacific Standard Time

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Join a radical experiment in art, science, and emerging technology where visionary artists are empowered to test bold ideas, prototype the future, and share their discoveries with the world. The Art + Technology Lab at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art is a “safe-to-fail” rapid prototyping environment—a place where the finished work of art is deliberately deemphasized in favor of encouraging artists to test the edges of art and technology. It supports projects that explore artistic applications of new tools and ideas related to technology and culture. The program offers artists and artist collectives financial and in-kind support for new projects, working in collaboration with expert partners from the fields of science, technology, engineering, art history, and museology.

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Applying for an Art + Technology Lab Grant

In 2026, three to five projects will be selected through the open call and supplemented by up to two invitational projects. Art + Technology Lab grants are open to individuals and collectives located anywhere in the world. Grants typically have a duration of two years and may provide financial support of up to $50,000 per project to cover artist fees and direct costs, including materials. Recipients may also receive in-kind support, such as mentorship, coaching, advice, and exposure to technologies in development at partner organizations, including Hyundai Motor, Snap Inc., Anthropic, and other companies; independent artists and academics working in art and technology from organizations such as the MIT Media Lab Space Exploration Initiative and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory have also participated. Applicants are welcome to propose additional potential collaborators or mentors, including past Lab grantees.

Applicants may find it useful to read about the grants made during the Lab’s first ten years in a newly released publication, All Impossible Deeds: LACMA’s Art + Technology Lab, 2014–2025. The book offers an examination of artists, collaborations, ideas, and technological experimentation supported by the Lab during the past decade. A PDF of the book is available for download.

Areas of Interest

We are particularly interested in exploratory ideas and proposals that leave room for refinement in collaboration with technologists and the museum. In addition, preference will be given to projects that are publicly accessible, consistent with LACMA’s mission, and produce models, prototypes, data, code, or other material that can be shared broadly. We welcome proposals that utilize museum resources, including access to data, material from our archives, information about our collection, and the use of museum digital properties as a platform for presenting projects. Preference is given to project proposals that include some aspect of public demonstration or engagement with the museum’s audience. Project budgets may include travel for this purpose. Applicants are encouraged to think beyond the traditional in-gallery presentation, to other possibilities and forms of public engagement. The Lab welcomes proposals for projects that are presented outside of the bounds of the museum campus, including conceptual projects and projects that unfold in virtual, online, extraterrestrial locations.

While there is a preference for projects that explore emerging technology, prior technological experience or knowledge is not required. Artists who have not used advanced technology in their practice are encouraged to consider how technology applications might build upon and expand the trajectory of their work. Recipients need not be located in or near Los Angeles.

Expanding the Art + Technology Lab

With renewed support from Hyundai Motor Company, LACMA is expanding the scope, visibility, and long-term impact of the Art + Technology Lab. Beginning with the 2026 cycle, the Lab will adopt an expanded programmatic structure intended to encourage deeper collaboration, sustained artistic development, and increased public engagement. The Art + Technology Lab is presented by Hyundai Motor Company and made possible by Snap Inc., and Anthropic. Additional support comes from other innovative companies and individuals. The Lab is part of a long‑term partnership between Hyundai Motor Company and LACMA that explores the evolving relationship between art and technology.

Key elements of this expanded framework include:

  • New grant cycles every two years, forming artist cohorts that support three to five grant recipients, selected through an open call and supplemented by up to two invitational projects. Invitational grants may respond to recent technological developments or extend the work of past Lab recipients whose projects have demonstrated particularly compelling outcomes.
  • Biennial Symposium beginning in 2027, featuring mid-term artist demonstrations, performances, talks, and presentations
  • Biennial Demo Day beginning in 2028, showcasing projects completed during the cycle, as well as public programs or symposiums that present new research, artistic strategies, and ideas emerging from the Lab’s artist community

To apply for an Art + Technology Lab at LACMA grant, please follow the application process guidelines below. Proposals must be submitted by 11:59 pm Pacific Standard Time on April 22, 2026.

All applicants will be notified by email regarding the status of their application in July 2026. Projects can begin as early as fall 2026.

Evaluation Criteria

LACMA staff and curators will review all applications. The final selection will be made by the museum director and curatorial and program staff. LACMA has sole discretion as to the number of proposals that will be accepted and supported through the Lab. 

Projects will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

  • Is the project artist-led and does it have artistic merit?
  • Does the project explore emerging technology?
  • Does the project suggest models, methods, and/or data that may be of interest to other artists and technologists?
  • Does the process proposed by the artist include opportunities to present demos, prototypes, or collaborative opportunities for the public during the development period?

The awarding of the grant may require meetings with applicants to discuss their proposals and establish detailed agreements. The grants will be awarded only after definitive agreements are reached, and the amount and timing of the disbursement of funds will be determined by the nature of each project. All artists will be required to execute a definitive agreement with LACMA (and, where applicable, third-party participants), which will set forth appropriate agreements with respect to the scope and the duration of the project, required milestones, amount and timing of funding, the involvement of third parties, intellectual property, licensing, ownership, and other matters.

Commitment to Diversity

The Art + Technology Lab is committed to embracing and enhancing equity, diversity, inclusion, and access to arts and culture, and encourages applications from communities across racial, ethnic, geographic, socio-economic, cultural, age, gender, and sexual orientation spectrums.

Application deadline

April 22, 2026, 11:59 pm Pacific Standard Time

Award information

Applicants may request a grant amount up to $50,000. All costs included in the project budget must be expended during the period of support, typically within 24 months of the initial award. Applicants may include fees for their own time and/or creative effort as part of the overall request outlined in the proposal.

Questions

Please submit questions to lab@lacma.org
 

How to prepare and submit an application

LACMA is not looking for traditional proposals. Some degree of uncertainty and ambiguity is encouraged, in the interest of identifying projects that truly explore new frontiers in art and technology. Of greater concern are the questions and methods you wish to explore, and the process you propose for exposing the results of your experimentation to the public. The application addresses the following questions.

  • Name of your project
  • List three words that describe your proposal.
  • Provide a one-sentence description of the work for which you are seeking support.
  • Full description of the proposed project (500 word maximum)
  • Include a bio of the principal artist or collective responsible for this project. (This may be in the form of a CV.)
  • Describe the artistic or creative merit of the proposed project. (100 word maximum)
  • In what ways does your project inspire dialogue about the relationship between technology and culture or other relevant issues? (100 word maximum)
  • Describe your proposed plan for public engagement. What opportunities do you foresee to share prototypes, demonstrations, and processes with the public? (100 word maximum)
  • List any other sources of funding for this project, including in-kind support, and, if applicable, any conditions related to that funding or support.
  • Total amount requested
  • Provide a detailed project budget (include direct costs, including materials, software licenses, etc., and any artist fees, as well as fees for any other contributors to the project).
  • If appropriate, please include up to five images, schematics, renderings, etc. that represent the idea for your project, embedded in your document in jpeg format. Video files should be less than five minutes in length and included as hyperlinks in the proposal. Supporting media files are not required.
  • Outline a proposed implementation plan including milestones, dates. and costs.

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