resident artist program

Overview

Depending on the nature of an applicant’s goals, we offer two options for interested candidates.

• 1-year project-based residency; artists submit a project proposal and may use the time to push technical and conceptual boundaries, conduct research and development in a particular topic or process, or explore an entirely new aspect of their work.
• 3-year career transition residency; artists submit objectives to advance their studio practice, to work out the practicalities of making a living, or to make a formative transition in their career path.

Goals

We are committed to advancing equity at Penland and within the craft field. We recognize that though many of our programs serve a diverse group of artists, our Resident Artist Program has not always reflected this commitment. We have recently restructured this program to make this a more visible and viable opportunity for more artists, and will continue to prioritize the following goals:

• To build a multicultural residency that shapes the future of contemporary craft by creating opportunity and visibility for innovative artists with a range of perspectives and goals
• To recognize artists whose work shows innovation, intention, and skill; are actively engaged in professional artistic practices; and are committed to proposing and prioritizing a project or objective that can be well supported, informed, and inspired by a residency at Penland
• To offer financial relief—in the form of housing, studio, and utilities—to directly support studio artists as they make a formative leap in their work and career

Residency

The primary expectation of resident artists is that they engage intently with their work. They are also expected to welcome other residents, students, instructors, and visitors to their studios through informal and formal studio visits. Resident artists join our larger school community during meal times each session and are also welcome to visit classes, attend slide lectures, and participate in various aspects of life at the school. Each resident is also invited to enroll in one short workshop, tuition free, during their residency. The school hosts educational workshops from March through November and a short Winter Residency in January, so this is our season of visitors and activity. Residents enjoy interludes of quieter, more focused studio time when the school pauses between programs.

Resident artists work independently and pursue their stated goals for their residencies. They do this, however, in an atmosphere of encouragement surrounded by a community of makers. Their studios and living spaces are clustered so that interaction with other resident artists is inevitable. All resident artists are represented by the Penland Gallery, and they are also encouraged to show and sell work directly through their studios and other galleries. Living at Penland also means they are surrounded by the many working craftspeople who live nearby as well as the national and international Penland community that constantly comes and goes throughout the year.

The experience of living at Penland is shaped in many ways by its rural location, its mountainous terrain, and by the age and nature of the facility. A successful residency depends in part on expectations consistent with what Penland has to offer.

Resident artists are selected through a competitive process that draws applications from all over the country and abroad. At the end of their residency, some Penland resident artists move on to other residencies or decide to pursue teaching careers, but the great majority of them continue as studio artists and build on the work they started at Penland.

Responsibilities

Penland encourages interaction between residents and its other programs. This may include giving an occasional demonstration for a Penland workshop, hosting a group of students or visitors for a studio visit, mentoring a core fellow, participating in a fundraising event, or simply getting to know students and instructors while they’re at Penland. Residents are asked to host an open studio evening during each Penland session (about seven events throughout the year) and to maintain an open-door policy at their studios during work hours. They participate in the Annual Benefit Auction and are encouraged to participate in resident group exhibitions and other events on campus and elsewhere as they arise. There is no teaching obligation, but for those interested, there may be short-term opportunities.