Annual Artist + Writer Residency

Each year, the Visual Arts Center of Richmond hosts three visual artists and one writer for an11-month residency. These residents have the opportunity to expand their practice, try new media, and create new work. Midway through the residency, the residents’ work is celebrated in a group exhibition and reading event at VisArts.

Through this residency, VisArts provides artists with:

  • 24/7 access to private studio space
  • Access to VisArts’ 17 professional art studios
  • $5,000 honorarium
  • Professional studio headshots and documentation of work
  • Other benefits intended to enhance creative practices, such as studio training, free VisArts classes, private lessons, and the opportunity to work in a community of makers

VisArts’ annual residency is funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Windgate Foundation, CultureWorks, Virginia Commission for the Arts, and the Allen and Margot Blank Foundation.

APPLYING FOR THE RESIDENCY

This residency is open to artists in all stages of their careers. VisArts will prioritize artists who have a demonstrated creative practice and are either emerging in their field or exploring new ideas or media. When submitting an application to be considered, we highly encourage applicants to provide a description of the work they hope to accomplish while in residency, expand on any specific project outlines and how they will creatively use the studios at VisArts, as well as discuss how this opportunity impacts your professional goals.

All artists are welcome to apply, but in an effort to address systemic inequalities, we will prioritize applications from BIPOC artists and those that come from groups that have been historically underrepresented due to age, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or socioeconomic status.

ACCESSIBILITY

Our facility is ADA compliant with the exception of one of our drawing and painting studios. Our letterpress studio requires individuals in a wheelchair to enter through an exterior door. We will work to support the individual needs of each resident.

Accepted residents may work independently in the studio(s) for which they have been approved, excluding the woodshop, flameworking and the fab lab studios which have only monitored studio time. Any accepted residents that are unfamiliar with a studio, process, piece of equipment or a tool will be required to participate in an official training.

APPLICATION + RESIDENCY TIMELINE

VisArts’ 2026 – 2027 cohort runs from September 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027.

Applications open on February 2 and close on March 31 at 11:59pm. All applicants will be notified by June 12, 2026.

VISUAL ART APPLICATION

Creative Writing Application

QUESTIONS?

Please contact the VisArts team at [email protected].