The Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery is both pleased and honored to present the work of this year’s distinguished C.O.L.A. Fellows. Visual art recipients include Natalie Bookchin, Castillo, Joe Davidson, David DiMichele, Bia Gayotto, Willie Robert Middlebrook, Maureen Selwood, Eloy Torrez, Shirley Tse. Each spring we celebrate the achievements of fifteen of the city’s visual literary and performing artists in a nonthematic exhibition and through a series of performances featuring their most current work. Artists’ applications are reviewed annually by a panel composed of a changing cast of former fellows, writers, performers, curators, and arts professionals. Financial need is not a determining factor in making the awards, but we have found that these grants provide a significant opportunity for creative exploration that might otherwise be deferred. Fellowships are awarded based on artistic accomplishment through past work, demonstrated artistic excellence in current work, and the anticipated impact the award might have on the artist’s ability to create new work.