The Dresher Ensemble Artist Residency (D.E.A.R.) was established in 2012 to support Northern California artists actively exploring new aesthetic premises and pushing the boundaries of conventional art forms and media. The program provides artists free studio space and up-to-date equipment to create new work in time-based arts such as theater/performance, dance/movement, music/sound art/instrument invention, and collaborative and interdisciplinary work.
D.E.A.R. grants up to six awards annually to individual artists or groups of artists collaborating on a single project.