Artist-in-Residence

Proposed as a founding initiative in 1968, the Artist in Residence program has earned The Studio Museum in Harlem recognition for its catalytic role in advancing the work of visual artists of African and Afro-Latinx descent. 

Every year, the Museum offers an eleven-month residency for three local, national, or international artists working in any media. Individuals selected for the residency receive institutional guidance and professional development, research support, studio space, and a stipend paid out over the course of the residency. In addition to their time in the studio, artists participate in Museum public programs and educational studio visits with community partners. A culminating exhibition features the work of the artists in residence.  

The Museum’s iconic  Artist-in-Residence program, envisioned by artist William T. Williams, gives emerging artists an unparalleled opportunity to develop their practice in an eleven-month residency, and offers audiences the chance to view this work in annual exhibitions. 

Alumni of the program include some of today’s most significant and innovative artists, such as Njideka Akunyili Crosby, David Hammons, Titus Kaphar, Simone Leigh, Kerry James Marshall, Julie Mehretu, Wangechi Mutu, Mickalene Thomas, and Kehinde Wiley. These artists have exhibited their work around the nation and the world in solo and group exhibitions, entered their work into important museum collections, and received many prestigious fellowships and awards. 

Every year, the Museum offers an eleven-month residency for three local, national, or international artists working in any media. Individuals selected for the residency receive institutional guidance and professional development, research support, studio space, and a stipend of $25,000 paid out in bi-weekly installments over the course of the residency.  

202223 Artist-in-Residence Program Dates: October 17, 2022–September 29, 2023
Application Period: March 15–April 30, 2022
Application Deadline: April 30, 2022 at 11:59 pm EST

Applications to the Artist-in-Residence program will be submitted through the SlideRoom application portal. Applicants to the Artist-in-Residence program are required to submit a resume or CV, up to ten but no less than five examples of artwork, and an artist statement; letters of recommendation are encouraged but not required.  

  • Physical studio spaces will be made available to the artists in residence contingent on COVID-19 protocols and in accordance with CDC guidelines. As the Museum remains committed to the health and safety of the artists in residence and staff, the Museum reserves the right to establish a remote residency, if necessary, at any point throughout the residency period. 

  • In accordance with the New York City vaccine mandate, the Museum will require artists in residence to be vaccinated unless they qualify for an exemption for either disability, medical, or religious reasons.   

  • Artists should apply to the residency with the understanding that they may be asked to work remotely.

  • Artists are required to engage with their studio practice at a minimum of twenty hours per week.  

  • Over the course of the residency program, artists are required to participate in the Museum’s annual Open Studios, a number of public programs and educational studio visits, and a rigorous engagement with the Museum's Curatorial Department and other Museum departments.  

  • A selection of artworks made by the artists throughout the course of the residency will be featured in a culminating exhibition.  

  • Artists cannot be in school or committed to another residency while in the Studio Museum Artist-in-Residence program. 

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