A new artistic fellowship has been established at SPACE on Ryder Farm, the non-profit residency program and organic farm in Putnam County, New York, dedicated to supporting artists in exchange for their support of the farm.

The Bryan Gallace/Posthumous Prodigy Productions Fellowship will offer an annual award for one musician to work on projects and professional growth at Ryder Farm. Celisse, a spoken word artist, performer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, is the first recipient. She will receive $30,000 to aid in the production of her full-length debut album.

READ: How SPACE on Ryder Farm Became a Creative Home Away From Home

The fellowship is made possible by a gift from Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation in honor of Bryan Gallace, a percussionist who passed away while pursuing a B.A. in professional music at Berklee College of Music. The funds will also generally support SPACE’s continued progress and expansion.

“I feel more proud of this work than anything I’ve ever done,” said Celisse in a statement. “Recording this album is the culmination of so many years in the industry, and I’m honored and grateful to be the inaugural recipient of this Fellowship.”

“Musicians have always been part of the fabric of SPACE on Ryder Farm,” said SPACE Co-Founder and Executive Director Emily Simoness. “As we strive to better serve our residents, musicians have long been a group that we wanted to invest in more deeply. This extraordinary gift from Posthumous Prodigy Productions has truly unlocked a world of potential for the support that we can provide to musicians both on and off of the farm, and has allowed us to build exciting new partnerships with visionary organizations like She Is The Music and BMI.

Prevoius musicians-in-residence at SPACE have included The Bengsons (The Lucky Ones), Grace McLean (In the Green), and Georgia Stitt (Snow Child).

Applications for 2020 residencies open in August. For a full list of residencies, click here.