Escape to the Southernmost Point and let Key West inspire your next work. The Studios of Key West, the premier arts organization in the Florida Keys, invites applications to our monthlong residency program for visual artists, writers, musicians, performers, media artists, and interdisciplinary creatives. We host nearly 40 artists annually, offering time, space, and community to imagine new work and engage with the island’s vibrant culture.

  
Our Peyton Evans Artist Residency (PEAR) program is rooted in Key West’s creative spirit and inclusive ethos. Residents are encouraged to draw inspiration from the island’s rich history, its artistic legacy, and its motto: One Human Family. Artists of all backgrounds, identities, and abilities are invited to apply.

  
Residencies run from the 2nd of the month to the last day. Artists are housed in a beautifully renovated guesthouse featuring four private studios (one ADA-accessible), a shared kitchen, and lush courtyard.

  
Applications are accepted through Slideroom and reviewed by panels of working artists and professionals across five categories: Visual Arts, Literary Arts, Media Arts, Musical Arts, and Performing Arts. Our competitive selection process results in an acceptance rate of about 12–13%, based on the quality of work and potential for growth.

  
Applicants are asked to include a proposal for a public offering — such as a workshop, artist talk, or reading — as part of their residency exchange.

Travel to/from Key West, shipping your materials

**Accommodation:**

The residency guesthouse is right next door to our flagship building, in the Old Town neighborhood, just a block off of Duval Street. Even being so close to the downtown action, the PEAR House is an oasis of quiet, with a beautiful, spacious courtyard shaded by a massive banyan tree. It’s dripping with Key West history and character.

Artists will have access to a shared kitchen, a covered outdoor common area, a second floor wash/work station and a shaded courtyard. All living spaces include a private bedroom and bathroom; some include a detached workspace, some are combined. One residency is ADA accessible on the ground floor, and three are second floor spaces (one is a loft). All spaces have A/C.

The kitchen is well equipped, linens are provided and there are laundry facilities on site. Most cell phones work fine and there is Wifi access. There are no televisions.

  
**Studio:**

All live/work spaces include a private bedroom and bathroom; some workspaces are detached from the artist’s living space, some are combined. (Artists are assigned to accommodations based upon the specifications they stated in the space requirements section of the residency application.)

We will work with you to set up your work space with tables, easels, writing tables, stools, chairs, pin-up boards or whatever else (within reason!) you need to work.

  
**Extras:**

Free yoga classes, beach passes, and kayak trips for PEARs, a library card to use, and a bicycle or tricycle to get around town.

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