philip c. curtis artist-in-residence program

We are accepting applications for the 24-25 Philip C. Curtis Artist-in-Residence at Albion College. This ten-week residency during the Spring 2025 semester (January – May) provides housing, a studio, a solo exhibition, and a generous stipend. The program is intended to provide emerging artists the opportunity to pursue their work in a supportive environment within the Department of Art and Art History at Albion College.

The Philip C. Curtis Artist-in-Residence program is named for the American Surrealist painter, Philip C. Curtis, ‘30. The program was started by his college friends Russell and Wanda Babcock in 1991 during a large Curtis retrospective exhibition in the Elsie Munro Gallery at Albion College. Through the generosity of the Babcocks, the Department of Art and Art History brings artists to campus for up to 10 weeks during the semester. Depending on the length of stay, we bring one to three artists per year.

The artists are chosen based on the quality of their work, the strength of the proposal that they make to the department for the work that they will complete during the residency, and the art and art history faculty’s perception of how well they will work with our students. The artist-in-residence does not teach but is expected to have significant interaction with students in the form of open studio time, visits to classes, participation in critiques, and other informal conversations. The department has been very pleased with the effect that the program has had on the department as a whole and the benefits that students derive from it.

The Artist-in-Residence will be expected to be available as a resource to the faculty and students in the department. The artist will be expected to establish a predictable working pattern and to work on a regular basis. The Department of Art and Art History will provide a space suitable to execute work, with 24-hour access to our facilities.

The Artist-in-Residence may be asked to make formal presentations or to do demonstrations in a classroom setting, but the artist will not have faculty status or responsibilities (classes, grading, etc.). We normally expect the AIR will present an artist’s talk within the first three weeks of the residency. The overriding responsibility of the Artist-in-Residence is to immerse himself/herself in work. If the AIR must be absent from the College to participate in professional activities (competitions, exhibitions, etc.) or for emergencies, it will be at his or her own expense.

While the artist’s accessibility and availability to students is important, it should not be at undue expense to the artist. The chair of the Department of Art and Art History will serve as the contact between the Artist-in-Residence and the College.